Something for everyone, and for a good cause

In the very best sense of the term this charity exhibition and auction for Ukraine is a very mixed bag that includes some of the best-known names in Scottish art, as well as a plethora of non-professional artists. Most of the 200 works have been donated in their entirety.

Almost the entire top floor of this former whisky bond, which is graced with large circular windows overlooking the city, has been given over to this show; it’s an exciting, raw venue, chiming with the speed with which the exhibition was organised — and its brief duration.

Several major works immediately catch the eye, such as the huge colourful floral studies by the organiser Rosemary Beaton and the fantastical figurative studies by her Glasgow contemporary Adrian Wiszniewski. They are joined by other luminaries such as David Mach, Barbara Rae, Ken Currie, Philip Braham, Henry Kondracki and Sam Ainsley.

One of the most pertinent and poignant works is a series of plastercasts by the sculptor Alexander Stoddart, depicting Dnieper, the Slavic god who lends his name to Ukraine’s largest river. Another moving piece is a series of photographs by the Ukrainian artist Steven Skrynka, showing his father in 1960s London in a silent, dignified protest holding aloft a placard that reads: “RUSSIA STOP DESTROYING UKRAINIAN LIBRARIES.”

There are many smaller, quieter but no less accomplished works here — indeed the quality of some is outstanding and includes a depiction of Gaia by Rachael Bibby, a sculptural painting created with multiple coats of industrial lacquer.

Denise Finlay’s gilded portrait study is a gem, while other work by Toby Paterson, Rosalind Lawless, Sofia Perina Miller and Heather Nevay is outstanding for its quality and interest.

There is something for everybody here and, if they can, no one should be shy of placing a bid for an essential cause.

June 22-25, online in June and July; artistaidukraine.org