The important part is the space between by Rafferty

The important part is the space between, is a new exhibition by Shetland artist Rafferty which opens in Gaada’s outdoor exhibition space Display from 8 December 2022 - 3 February 2023.

The important part is the space between is an ethereal exploration of Shetland’s jellyfish species through the unique lense of emerging Shetland based artist, Rafferty.

The exhibition title is taken from a snippet of questioning internal dialogue which occurs throughout the artist’s sketchbook practice. The focus of the exhibition falls upon four meticulously rendered giclée portraits which depict the delicate bodies of these fragile animals. The rising populations of Jellyfish are widely seen by the scientific community as a symptom of ecological collapse — yet recent research hints toward Jellyfish playing a valuable, unappreciated role in oceanic food webs – “it’s interesting that they’ve been able to find them in the stomachs of so many creatures now” says Rafferty. “I chose to make riso prints of my sketchbook pages, marbling to show natural variation in colour, and digital painting for a more blended and dreamy feel."

“Rafferty brings an incredible breadth of skills to Weekly Workshops at Gaada. Linocut, marbling, risograph, drawing and digital artwork are all showcased in this exhibtion, and provide just a glimpse into the artist’s wide ranging and confident talents.”

- Vivian Ross-Smith, Programme Coordinator, Gaada

The exhibition will run from 8th December 2022 – 3rd February 2023 in Display – an outdoor exhibition space outside Gaada’s Toogs Art Workshop in Bridge End, Burra.

Rafferty also sells a range of prints and handmade sketchbooks from Gaada’s Online Shop (www.gaada.org/shop) with proceeds helping to fund future work.