What does art look like?

Explore the vibrant world of artistic expression from NHS Lothian Charity’s Tonic Arts Art Collection.

This collection, with over 2,500 artworks, showcases a diverse range of artistic expressions, from traditional painting and drawing to contemporary photography and conceptual art.

As you explore the twenty-two artworks on display, we invite you to think about the question: What does art look like? Art is experienced in a personal way, influenced by your perceptions, emotions, and experiences. What resonates with one person may not necessarily resonate with another.

In this exhibition, you’ll see a variety of artworks, including portraiture, landscape, still-life, abstract and conceptual work, spanning the 20th and 21st centuries. Each piece offers a unique perspective.

Our Tonic Arts programme uses the transformative power of art to enhance healthcare environments and wellbeing. By curating a diverse collection of artworks, we aim to create spaces that uplift and contribute towards the holistic health of staff, patients and visitors.

We’d love to hear what you think!

We invite you to actively participate in shaping the conversation around art. Share your thoughts and impressions by using the postcards provided. Each of the works are numbered. Drop your postcards in the adjacent letterbox, telling us which works you particularly like or don’t like…and why.

You might also like to photograph your favourite artwork and share it with us, tag @nhslothcharity on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook with the hashtags #WhatDoesArtLookLike #TonicArts. Your participation not only helps guide the art we display but also sparks conversation. We’ll be sharing your comments and feedback to see how they may influence and reshape other’s impressions of the pieces in our collection.