Peace Starts with a Smile: Stuart Duffin RSA

Jerusalem remains in many respects the centre of the world, historically, geographically and geopolitically, and therefore indicative of much wider global concerns. The complex issues of conflict and resolution have become a constant source of influence on Duffin’s approach to life. Two key words now inform and govern his response; ‘coexistance’ and ‘compassion’. This, he feels, enables him to dispense with politics and instead focus on principles.

Over the decades, Duffin has ‘become convinced that the pursuit of dialogue is vital to a deeper understanding of resolution and is a proven route towards global tolerance and coexistence’. Art, as evidenced by the public response to his work, is in a prime position to both initiate and support dialogue ‘helping us build bridges of co-operation and understanding, enabling us to envisage a better future for communities at home and abroad’.

In 2016 Stuart Duffin was granted a Gillies Bequest Award by the RSA to finance an artist’s residency at the Jerusalem Print Workshop. This exhibition, comprising etching, mezzotint, digital printmaking collage, oils and an audio visual work, is largely the result of that residency.

Duffin is now based between his home studio in the North East of Scotland, Glasgow Print Studio (as the etching master) and Jerusalem Print Workshop.