About the Artwork

Kissing gates are iconic pieces of spatial punctuation throughout rural landscapes. Couples who pass through these gates traditionally exchange a kiss to mark their journey and that of those who came before them. The design of the kissing gate is unique as the mechanism itself is an intermediate space between entrance and exit. A hinged gate where the door never closes, enabling free thoroughfare for some and causing restriction for others.

Kissing Gate is an interactive installation to queer urban pedestrian experiences and invite romantic interactions between strangers. Never fully open or fully closed, Kissing Gate is an encounter with no right of way – a hyphen, not a period.

Previously exhibited between gallery spaces at the Royal Scottish Academy, New Contemporaries, Edinburgh 2023.

Year: 2023


Copyright Maya Rose Edwards. Photo © Nick Turpin.

Material

Timber, iron fixings, public footpath sign

Dimensions

150cm x 150cm x variable

Artist Biography

Maya Rose Edwards

Maya Rose Edwards (b.1999) is an artist from North Yorkshire working across conceptual sculpture, public space, and participatory practice. They work with hunter-gatherer tactics, to compose new narratives of seemingly familiar spaces through the forms of intervention and interaction. They have exhibited at over 15 locations across the UK and created several permanent site-specific works in Scotland. They are the recipient of the RSA New Contemporaries Selection (2023) for which they received the Chalmers Award, Artist in residence at Mount Stuart (2022-3), Creative Scotland Youth Arts Bursary (2022), and The Steven Palmer Travel Bursary (2023). Their work has been featured in Trebuchet Magazine, The Times Newspaper, and ITV News.