New home for sculpture in Braemar

Contemporary artist Subodh Gupta’s stainless steel art piece, When Soak Becomes Spill, has been placed next to the Invercauld Arms Hotel. It has been brought to Deeside by hospitality and development company Artfarm, owned by wealthy art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth. The Wirths are presidents of the Hauser & Wirth gallery, and the couple have also taken over Braemar’s Invercauld Arms and nearby 5-star Fife Arms hotel. They say they brought the sculpture to the village “for the community, hotel and village visitors to enjoy”. It is hoped that the sculpture will “compliment and draw attention” to the historic hotel, which dates back to 1700. Plans submitted to Aberdeenshire Council reveal Artfarm’s hopes to have multiple sculptures take a turn being on display to showcase its “diverse” art collection. The installation of the plinth forms part of the redevelopment of the hotel, which closed in 2018. Under new proposals, the Invercauld Arms could be revived as 23 serviced apartments. The building could also have a four-lane swimming pool, gym, yoga studios and a spa. Signs located outside the hotel suggest it will reopen to guests in 2025. But as the sculpture is located on the outskirts of village, does it make a welcoming sight or is it a blot on the landscape? Braemar resident Fiona McGregor believes the sculpture is “interesting” and “a talking point for the village”. She added: “Some people like it, it’s controversial. I’ve got no complaints about it.” “It will slow the traffic down because a lot of people come shooting through, a lot of people stop and have a look at it.” Fiona admits the art piece has led to some debate in Braemar: “I think probably the majority of the people in the village like it or are happy about it. I don’t think anyone is desperately unhappy – there is nothing to be unhappy about. It’s something else for visitors to look at and it puts Braemar on the map.” A local businessman, who wished to remain anonymous, also gave his support. “It’s a piece of modern art by a very famous artist so I think it’s great,” he said. “I think it would be nice to see more dotted around the village, that makes it more attractive to people who have an interest. It’s a talking point, it’s going to catch people’s attention.” However Renee Robertson, who originally hails from Sydney but owns property in the village, had a mixed response. While she welcomed the Wirth’s efforts to introduce modern art pieces to Braemar, she doesn’t believe this particular artwork is appropriate. “I like that they are trying to bring art and their fascination about art to the area but I don’t think it’s in keeping,” she stated. “And I think given the current cost-of-living crisis, I feel like it’s a bit extreme and I don’t feel that it has a connection to Braemar. “Once you investigate what the artwork is about, I understand, but I think that connecting it prior to the hotel opening, it feels a bit disconnected to the sense of Braemar, even with the great investment that they’ve made in the town.” She added: “I think if you are going to make an artwork central to the theme of Braemar, that’s not it.” Another resident, who asked not to be named, described the new Braemar sculpture as “bizarre”. They said: “It’s subject to planning permission so it might get taken down, hopefully. “I was walking the other day and I was thinking ‘what the heck is that on the trailer? They better not put that there’ and they did. "Shiny new polished pans, it’s a bit bizarre.” But while the local welcomed the investment made by the Wirths, they don’t agree with this latest move. They explained: “Mr Wirth has done so much here to promote the local history as well as his modern art, but this is a step too far in the wrong direction. “I do agree with everything he has done here and I’m right behind him on everything else, he’s come in here and put his money where his mouth is. “If he’d put it somewhere else, in the garden of the Fife maybe, but to put it there I think is wrong.” The resident believes the latest installation won’t have the same impact on the village as the multi-coloured neon sign by Turner Prize winner Martin Creed. His neon piece, Work No 3435 Everything Is Going To Be Alright, was unveiled in the grounds of Braemar Castle back in August 2020 during the pandemic. “We had the lit-up sign down by the castle for covid, but that meant something and was different,” the resident remarked. “It was there for a purpose and that was good and certainly attracted the right attention.” The artist behind the sculpture is Subodh Gupta, an Indian contemporary artist who is based in New Delhi. He uses many everyday objects in his art pieces from lunchboxes and pans to bikes and milk pails. When Soak Becomes Spill shows pots and pans spilling over a bucket, representing the importance of the world’s natural resources and how they are wasted by society. The massive sculpture was completed especially for the Victoria & Albert Museum’s India Festival back in 2015. Gupta is recognised as one of India’s most successful contemporary artists. He has had his work on display across the globe including Paris, New York, Seoul and Tokyo.