Revealing Art

University Collections are running a special session at The Gallery on Thursday 29 October, and it's one of those things you have to be there to actually see. It's called Revealing Art, and the whole point is that you'll get to see the back of two paintings from the Aberdeen Artworlds: Linklater Collection exhibition. Most of us only ever see the front of a canvas, so the idea of turning them over is a bit of a rarity.

The two works involved are John Cowie's Set Square (1957) and Anne Redpath's Tulips in a White Jug (1957). Each session starts with a short introduction to the two artists, Cowie and Redpath, and then the paintings are turned over to reveal whatever is hidden on the reverse. After that, the backing boards are reattached and the works are rehung as they're meant to be seen. It's a brief window into the physical side of the art that usually stays out of sight.

If you're planning to go, keep in mind how it's set up. The sessions run from 16:00 to 18:00, split into three 20-minute slots: 16:30-16:50, 17:00-17:20 and 17:30-17:50. Each one is limited to 20 people, so you'll want to pick your slot early. The sessions themselves are held in the Lower Ground Floor Seminar Room of the Sir Duncan Rice Library, which is where you'll find the paintings being turned over.

Once your session is finished, there's a bit more to it. You're invited upstairs in the Gallery for a Mocktail pARTy and an Evening of Art, so you can hang around and chat rather than heading straight home. The whole thing is part of the Aberdeen Artworlds: Linklater Collection exhibition, so if you've already been through the main show, this is a good excuse to go back and see a side of it that's usually kept hidden.