FISHING is a modern exploration of contemporary identities and heritage. Artist Stephanïe Vandëm imaginatively combines oil painting and mixed media materials salvaged from the shoreline to creatively evoke the connections between the communities of the North East of Scotland and their fishing heritage. The artist draws from the rich traditions of Renaissance and Latin American art to create semi-sculptural pieces that deep dive into the pressing environmental & identity concerns of our time. The work repurposes the discarded fragments of our plastic-heavy society, merging them into intriguing jigsaw-puzzle images that evoke our possible shared futures. The calm and simplicity of the painted sections of the artwork contrast with the more complex three-dimensional mixed media elements which convey movement despite the heavy-layered look of the work. Weathered figures, chopped up lobster creels and everyday objects are ‘fossilized’ in cement, resin, sand and plastic, creating intriguing new structures that come away from the painted surface.