FRAGILE
andrew radford
13 December‐31 January, 2026
CUSTOM LANE
1 Customs Wharf
Leith, Edinburgh
EH6 6AL
FRAGILE brings together multi-media works by Andrew Radford, an artist who transforms everyday packaging and overlooked materials into carefully crafted works. Drawing on a long tradition of found-object art, Radford turns material we usually throw away into delicate pieces that ask us to look again at what we discard.
Behind the quiet scale and muted palette of these works sits a sharp political edge. Radford is fascinated—and frustrated—by the excess packaging that fills contemporary life, and his practice reflects both humour and anger at our relationship with waste. His compositions balance form, colour and line with precision, echoing the subtle storytelling and emotional tension found in his extensive archive of sketches.
The exhibition also reflects a more personal philosophy. For Radford, the word “FRAGILE” applies as much to people and relationships as it does to parcels. Influenced by his parents’ economic habits and today’s overwhelming material footprint, these works invite us to reconsider our priorities, our environment and what we value.
The deceptive minimalism of Andrew's work draws you in, closer and closer, to reveal the subtlety of his recycled surfaces, their gentle sheen reminiscent of well-loved wood or leather.
Susie Leiper - Calligrapher
About
Andrew has for years doodled, scribbled & collaged using found card, paper, packaging & discarded items. At home, in the work place & when travelling we are surrounded by so much packaging, much of it very carefully considered, designed & beautifully made, once the packaging is opened it is generally discarded. Andrew believes far too much ends up in landfill. He loves finding interesting items in skips & discarded in the streets of cities that he visits. He is fascinated by the folds & flaps, creases & windows found in packages. Different thicknesses, textures & colours are for him the start of the process. He then cuts & layers forming abstract shapes that are inspired by both the natural & the manmade environment. The materials are reimagined, repurposed & absolutely recycled. His work is then coloured using soft pastels & pigments from many natural sources such as tea & coffee & clay & grass.
With a lifetimes observation of multiple disciplines, examining, noticing, analysing. His response to architecture, fine art, the natural world & all its relationships & connections has guided him to develop his own artistic approach & practice encompassing, experimentation, making connections, incorporating his perceptions, both internal and external, using discarded material, packaging, card, paper, metal as well as natural objects, bark, stone & slate. He finds inspiration in the simplest of found objects. Andrew is also inspired by & treasures the memories of visits to galleries & museums around the world, in particular smaller galleries such as The Pier Art Gallery on Orkney, The Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Kettles Yard in Cambridge, Louisiana north of Copenhagen & The Henry Moore Studios at Perry Green, all have left a lasting impression, he finds inspiration in the art contained within the buildings and also the buildings themselves.