The Land Lies Quiet: A Captivating New Exhibition Opens at the Christopher Boyd Gallery, Old Gala House, Galashiels
A stunning new exhibition, The Land Lies Quiet, has opened this summer at the Christopher Boyd Gallery in Old Gala House, Galashiels, showcasing the evocative work of two contemporary Scottish artists, Helen Acklam and Annie Green. This immersive exhibition, running from Saturday 14 June – Saturday 26 July 2025, invites visitors to experience the landscape through colour, texture, memory, and emotion offering a fresh and accessible take on Scotland’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
Helen Acklam, a mixed media artist based in Southwest Scotland, presents a striking body of work inspired by the derelict beauty and history of the Scottish islands and the Borders region. Using layered materials such as sand, peat, stone, wallpaper, and vintage maps, her pieces offer a deeply tactile and emotional connection to place. She explains: “I was delighted to be invited by Live Borders to exhibit my work in the Christopher Boyd Gallery, Old Gala House, Galashiels. It’s such a beautiful space full of charm and history and I’m looking forward to this exciting opportunity.”
Helen’s work merges the real and the remembered, using both natural and found materials to craft compelling narratives of abandoned dwellings, lost communities, and he stories still held in the land. In contrast yet in harmony, Annie Green brings her vivid, abstract landscapes to the gallery walls. Living and working in East Lothian, Annie’s work is born from her experiences walking the coast, hills, and fields of Scotland. Driven by a deep love of colour, she refines the forms of nature into bold, expressive compositions in acrylic and mixed media, often incorporating collage. Annie says: “It’s a great privilege to be exhibiting in such a wonderful venue in one of my favourite Borders towns.”
Her paintings resonate not with a literal depiction of the landscape but with the feeling of being immersed in it the shifting weather, the breath of sea air, the vast skies all distilled into powerful abstract forms that speak to the viewer’s own sense of place and memory.
Phoebe Stewart, Assistant Curator for Live Borders, adds: “The Land Lies Quiet is a beautiful conversation between two artists and two very different approaches to the Scottish landscape. It’s an exhibition full of colour, texture, emotion and storytelling and it’s accessible and welcoming to everyone. Whether you’re an art lover, a local historian, or just curious, this is a wonderful chance to engage with Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage through the eyes of two incredibly talented artists.”
The Land Lies Quiet is more than an exhibition it’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and connect with the land in new and unexpected ways. Visitors will find the show thought-provoking, moving, and visually stunning.
Live Borders have an exciting and diverse range of exhibitions and live events in 2025, to find out more visit https://www.liveborders.org.uk/museum-exhibitions-events/
Opening Date: 14 June 2025
Location: Old Gala House, Scott Crescent, Galashiels, TD1 3JS
Duration: Saturday 14 June 2025 – Saturday 26 July 2025
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Closed Sundays
Admission: Free Admission, Donations Welcomed
