A new neon work by Turner Prize-winner Martin Creed was unveiled at the weekend in the grounds of nearby Braemar Castle, with the 1628 building offering a striking backdrop for the contemporary outdoor piece.
The unveiling of Work No.3435, Everything Is Going To Be Alright also marks the reopening of the hotel, which was the winner of the TTG Luxury Travel Awards’ Best New Luxury Hotel of 2019.
The hotel is owned by Iwan and Manuela Wirth, who are renowned in the global art community for their art curation and string of Hauser & Wirth galleries, and placed 16,000 works of art, antiques, and objets in The Fife Arms.
Originally launched at the end of 2018 to great fanfare thanks to its art collection – which includes original works by Picasso and Lucian Freud – the hotel breathed new life into the town and sparked a wave of interest from around the world.
Everything Is Going To Be Alright will remain in situ in the Highland village for the rest of the summer at the castle, which is managed and operated for the benefit of the community by Braemar Community Limited and attracts 14,000 visitors each year. Creed’s photographic print of two dogs, Work No. 1094, is already part of the hotel’s large art collection.
“Our art collection never fails to delight, surprise and intrigue our guests. The installation of Everything Is Going To Be Alright in the open air is an extension of our collection – and a celebration of our glorious setting in the Cairngorms,” said Federica Bertolini, general manager of The Fife Arms. “It will also be a very thought-provoking, but reassuring and smile-making, welcome to the village.”
Martin Creed, who grew up in Glasgow, is known in Scotland for the much-loved Scotsman Steps in Edinburgh, a public staircase joining two streets made with more than a hundred different types of marble.
The blue neon piece Work No. 975: Everything Is Going To Be Alright has been on view since 2012 on the facade of the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, and the phrase has been used by the artist in a series of large-scale neon works since 1999.
Creed has said it draws on the comforting words he was once offered by a friend: “If you are upset and someone speaks to you to try to help you, even if the words are empty because no one knows what is going to happen in the future, it can still feel like a comfort. No-one can really tell you everything is going to be alright, but despite that, many times in my life I have been very comforted by people saying something like that to me.”
For those who cannot get to see Creed’s latest piece in person, a new online presentation of his work at Hauser & Wirth is also now available, including selected paintings, drawings, sculptures, tapestry, video and music, and a small-scale version of the multi-coloured neon piece.
• A stay at The Fife Arms in Aberdeenshire starts from £230 per night, with breakfast.
