TRAQUAIR House is to play host to a fascinating exhibition of contemporary art in which eight Scottish artists will present new work specially made for the location.

The exhibition will be located in the pavilions, with paired works throughout the house and grounds.

The artists were invited by Catherine Maxwell Stuart of Traquair to make work that would reflect on the House or its history - Traquair is famously said to be the oldest continuously inhabited house in Scotland!

The artists, who include recent graduate Deirdre Macleod, and the well-known Borders-domiciled painter Andrew Mackenzie, who regularly shows his meticulously detailed work at Sarah Myerscough in London, will each show a work in one of the beautiful Garden Pavilions overlooking Traquair’s maze.

All of the artists will also show a related work in the main part of the House or grounds. One of the artists, Gordon Brennan, former head of Painting at Edinburgh College of Art, said: “It seems a little presumptuous to try and add anything at all to the visual wonders already here, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to insert contemporary work into a historical context and to work away from the clean spaces of a conventional gallery – and very exciting as well to present work to an audience who might not ordinarily seek out, or encounter, contemporary work of this kind. One of the puzzles for us will be in trying to decide how visible, or how easily found, the work should be.” Also in the show will be work by Mary Morrison, based in the Borders, and known for her exquisitely rendered paintings, and Jane Hyslop, who recently made an ambitious and acclaimed presentation of work as invited artist at Visual Arts Scotland.

Paul Keir, who exhibited earlier this year at the Ingleby Gallery, is intending to show a series of small abstract paintings on aluminium, and poet Ken Cockburn, well-known for his translations and collaborations with visual artists, is planning a response to the 18th century painting of Diana and Actaeon, by an unknown artist, which survives beautifully intact in the ceiling of one of the Garden Pavilions. This painting also marks a point of departure for the sculptural work of the last member of the group, Mark Haddon, who initiated the whole project.

Curved Stream runs from September 6 to October 31 and further details of related events will be available at www.traquair.co.uk/events