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Gàidhlig

Friday 8 August – Saturday 30 August (closed Sundays)

Tim Hetherington, UK, for Vanity Fair World Press Photo of the Year 2007 winner

The prestigious World Press Photo Exhibition has attracted more than 18,700 visitors to the Scottish Parliament since it opened to the public two weeks ago. The exhibition returned to Holyrood after its success in the previous two years.

Many of the images in the exhibition seek to raise awareness of difficult and traumatic contemporary issues while others celebrate the achievements of humanity in sport and culture or capture the beauty and drama of the natural environment.

The exhibition features the work of the prize-winning photojournalists of the World Press Photo competition. The overall winner this year is British photographer Tim Hetherington. His image of an exhausted American soldier resting in the Restrepo bunker in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, has been described as an image that ‘represents the exhaustion of a man – and the exhaustion of a nation’. (Gary Knight, Chairman of the 2008 World Press Photo jury). The valley was the epicentre of the US fight against militant Islam in Afghanistan, and scene of some of the deadliest combat in the region.

People who viewed the exhibition said…

"It is an extraordinary exhibition. Some of the images are so good you feel like you are there, they look alive. Some, especially those from areas of conflict, give you goosebumps when you look at them."
Naomi, Musselburgh  


"Some of the photos are very striking. You can really imagine what the people in them were going through. In some you get a real sense of people’s fear or sadness. They are very moving.”
Antony Coulber, Somerset


"It is an incredible collection of images. I have spent a long time looking at them all, reading about where they were taken and the stories behind the photos is fascinating. I go to see the exhibition every year in Belgium and could not resist coming to see it again while on holiday in Edinburgh. And they look great here."
Dorothea Vandenwyngaerden, Belgium

"I am very impressed with the photos. I spent a long time on the computer going through winners from previous years. There are some quite incredible pictures. The ones with children have really grabbed my attention. I think good photography does that, it really transports you to the very place where the image was taken."
Caro Van Lee Owen, Switzerland

"There is a huge variety of pictures, everything from wars to nature. There is a huge mix of images so it is difficult to pick a favourite, but I especially like the sports pictures. It must be difficult to capture athletes as they are moving but these photographers have done that."
Sebastien, France

Image Gallery

The 2008 Higher Art and Design Exhibition will showcase a selection of the artworks produced by nearly 8,000 young artists from schools and colleges across Scotland for the 2008 Higher Art and Design examinations.

The Exhibition is being staged in partnership with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and will be the first Exhibition to focus solely on the artworks produced for Higher Art and Design. It will feature paintings, design, architecture, ceramics, fashion and jewellery.

The Exhibition is a testament to the imagination and creativity of not only the students but also the teachers who support and inspire them.

After the Exhibition at the Scottish Parliament ends, some of the Higher artwork will move to the People's Palace in Glasgow, where they will be displayed with artworks from the 2008 Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 and 2 Art and Design examinations. This exhibition will run from 1 December to 16 January 2009.

The final Exhibition in SQA's season will showcase artworks from 2008’s Advanced Higher Art and Design at the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, from 22 January to 19 March 2009.

To find out more about SQA's work in this area and to view some of previous years' artworks, visit www.sqa.org.uk/art2007

Image Gallery