Cheer Up! It's Not the End of the World …

Artists: Ricky Allman, Martin Barrett, Gordon Cheung, Etienne Clement, Jake & Dinos Chapman, David Faithfull, Damien Hirst, Konstantin Kalinovich, Kris Kuksi, Lori Nix and Andy Warhol

‘We’re a’ doomed!’

Feared by some, welcomed by others, the end is, apparently, nigh. This premiere exhibition hosted by Edinburgh Printmakers as part of Edinburgh Art Festival presents the work of several artists who have in some sense explored ideas about the end of the world, apocalypse, finality, the death of thought, or related eschatological concerns.

Fascination with the end of time is nothing new, but the year 2012 has been marked by many prophets as the year when it all happens (more specifically, 21 December), triggered for some by the supposed end point on the ancient Maya calendar.

Will the earth be struck by a stray comet? Will the mystery planet X arrive? Perhaps a huge burst of radiation emanating from the sun, or a planetary polarity-shift? For some it represents a spiritual transformation, the second coming, or the return of the old gods. For others it will be the collapse of capitalism, the new world order, or even an elaborate hoax by the latter to hoodwink us all.

Whatever the truth of these claims, themes of apocalypse have always provided a fertile source of ideas and images for visual artists.

Including prints and other media by Jake and Dinos Chapman, Gordon Cheung, Damien Hirst, and Andy Warhol, among others, plus a range of older historical images.

An exhibition to terrify, amuse, and excite your imagination, inspiring you to ask yourself: where will I be on 21 December 2012?

Immanentize the eschaton!

This exhibition is curated by Norman and Sarah-Manning Shaw and is part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2012. With thanks to Steven Pollock Fine Art.

Text supplied by third party.