FOLLOWERS of the arts in Edinburgh and across Scotland are counting down the days to the opening of the new £11 million studio for the Edinburgh Printmakers group which will open at the end of this month.

The first two artists to exhibit at the new Castle Mills studio in Fountainbridge will be leading German installation artist Thomas Kilpper, who is known for his critical social and political interventions, and Scottish artist Callum Innes, the organisation’s Artist Patron.

As an installation artist, Kilpper’s work will unveiled only at the opening ceremony on April 27. It is sure to be controversial as he has promised to tackle thorny subjects of the day, including Brexit.

He said: “Right now across the world decisions are being made by politicians that I think need to be challenged. Decisions on the environment, on coexistence and our way of living together. It is a phenomenon that societies are getting more polarised, right-wing parties reappearing and sowing prejudices and hatred against minorities, and politicians unwilling to protect the powerless in our society and instead promoting the interests of the banks and giant corporations. We have a shift back to the dark side of nationalism, not only Trump’s “America first” slogan but also Ukip, the Italian, Austrian, Polish government or even Marine Le Pen’s policy paradigmatically indicate.

“Coming to Edinburgh at a time when Britain is planning to leave the European Union while Scotland would prefer to stay, will be very interesting. As an artist I am dealing with aesthetics in the broadest sense which includes questions around how to address conflicting social issues. These questions highlight fundamental concerns about our future, that I hope to be able to examine through this project. Castle Mills, after being abandoned for several decades, shall again be brought to life and become a space for production. This time a place of artistic production based on a diverse range of critical voices at a challenging time in our history.”

The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland, Scottish Government, Edinburgh Council, Historic Environment Scotland, the Gannochy Trust and Robertson Trust have funded the project.