Based in Argyll, Christine Borland has a long association with Cove Park, supporting our programme as an advisor, working at times from our studios and, in collaboration with artist Brody Condon, developing the project Circles of Focus on site in preparation for a major exhibition at the CCA Glasgow in 2015. In 2016 she was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from the University of Glasgow and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2020. Works have been shown in numerous international exhibitions, including The Turner Prize and the Venice Biennale, and are sited in public spaces and collections.

Borland explores conventional perceptions of morality in her practice, by using investigative processes validated with historical evidence. The theme of this print is an extension of work she developed during a residency at Glenfiddich Distillery in 2004, in the Anatomy Acts exhibition at City Arts Centre, Edinburgh, 2006 and which continued though a three year NESTA fellowship awarded to the artist in May 2006. The print depicts a common ailment for trees growing near distilleries, whose bark is attacked by a black fungus. Borland transplanted such a tree to Cove Park where it slowly returned to its natural colour. Her print uses both positive and negative versions of a photograph to refer to the tree’s transformation in nature. The horizontal positioning of this symmetrical image also alludes to biophysical patterns such as bronchial structures and branch-like artery networks, relating to the artist’s ongoing interest in the ethics of medical decision-making.

Produced at Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio

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