New Art Installation Unveiled in Edinburgh as Part of China's Year of the Ox Celebrations

To celebrate China's I Love You Day, organisers of Edinburgh's Chinese year-long NewYear Festival today unveiled a new art installation in the heart of the city. Linking the Chinese Year of the Ox with Scotland's iconic Highland Cow, artist Ian Kirkpatrick hascreated Citadel of the Stars which is now on show at VisitScotland's iCentre on the RoyalMile in Edinburgh.

Professor Ian Baxter, Director of the Scottish Confucius Institute for Business & Communication at Heriot-Watt University, which supported the creation of the artwork aspart of the cultural programme, said "We were looking for a singular object to bridge the gapbetween an Ox and a Highland Cow in a meaningful way. The coo was the anchor point –the perfect mash-up of both cultures and we were inspired by Ian Kirkpatrick's striking style,and his approach as a contemporary artist using sculpture to explore Chinese culture.

"The 20th of May is China's equivalent of our Valentine's Day celebrations – thepronunciation of 520 in Chinese is very similar to the pronunciation of I Love You, and whata wonderful message to be spreading as the UK starts to slowly come out of lockdown."

Ian Kirkpatrick is a Canadian contemporary artist currently based in London. His work isinspired by the history of art and design, from ancient cave paintings and Greek amphorae tograffiti and computer graphics and has been exhibited across the UK and internationally, with shows in New York, Chicago, Montreal, Berlin, Rome and London. He has producedcommissions for the London 2012 Olympics, the Tour de France, and the Oxford Museum of Natural History - and has completed public art projects in Leeds, Middlesbrough, Amsterdamand Rotterdam.

Ian Kirkpatrick said "I was delighted to work on this project and took my inspiration from aquote by Carl Sagan that promotes the idea of friendship between nations. As a result,much of the iconography is space-related, including images of Chang'e 5. I am very muchlooking forward to seeing Citadel of the Stars in situ in Edinburgh."

Rob Lang, Chair of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group's China Ready Initiative, said, “WithScotland and Edinburgh cautiously opening up to visitors from all over Scotland and the UK,many of whom will call into the iCentre for tips on activities and places to go, we think this isthe perfect time to launch this installation. This partnership creatively celebrates China andScotland to build cultural understanding and a diverse mix of entertainment and education,as well as business opportunities to benefit both residents and visitors by making the cityChina- ready."

China’s Consul General in Edinburgh, Ma Qiang said, “While Citadel of the Stars wants toshow that friendship knows no boundaries, the success of China's Chang'e 5 lunar missiontells us 'Where there's a will, there's a way'. The past year has witnessed humans rallying inone fight against the pandemic and displaying how united and courageous we can be. I'mfully convinced that people from China and Scotland can jointly make big contributions inbuilding a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Lord Provost Frank Ross, said: “In recent years, our Scottish celebrations for Chinese NewYear have grown - providing us with an opportunity to enhance Scottish people’sunderstanding of Chinese culture and it’s fantastic that they continue with this new artinstallation. Our city has long and proud links with China going back over a century. IanKirkpatrick’s Citadel of the Stars, a mix of the ox and highland cow is a symbolic combinationof both cultures and it’s fitting that this emblem of China’s I Love You Day will be featuredright in the heart of the city."

Citadel of the Stars will be on display in the VisitScotland iCentre at 249 High Street from Thursday 20 May 2021. Entry to the iCentre is free however while social distancing rules arestill in place visitor capacity inside will be restricted. The iCentre is open daily from 9.30amto 5.30pm Monday to Saturday and 10.00am to 4.00pm on Sunday.

Full details of Edinburgh's Chinese New Year celebrations and all events in the year-longprogramme can be found at www.yearofthecoo.com .

For further information please contact:

Frances Sutton, Garron Communications07841 579481 or francessutton@garroncommunications.com