The exhibition will be the second on display in the new centre's premier gallery space and will feature work from more than 200 poets, visual artists and calligraphers from around Scotland and Ireland in a celebration of the breadth and diversity of contemporary Gaelic culture.

Backing by Moray company Gleaner Oils and Gas has enabled the inclusion of a special collection of 28 prints, which are referred to as "a modern day Book of Kells" by artists.

Centre manager Diane Smith described the exhibition as a major contemporary artwork in the form of a visual anthology using literature and art.

"Scotland and Ireland share a mythology, a rich music tradition, languages and some history," she said.

"This major exhibition renews old Scottish and Irish connections and makes new ones. At the moment the exhibition of 200 prints has been split and are currently on show internationally. Eventually the whole collection will be bound together into one volume as a permanent exhibit."

The 100 gaelic poems featured in the exhibition were nominated by leading poets and writers such as Seamus Heaney, Hamish Henderson and Alastair Macleod as well as the contributing poets themselves. The selection features work from 6th to the 21st century, including the earliest Gaelic poetry in existence.

Comedy, tragedy, love, death, the spiritual and the bawdy are all represented in poems by Sorley Maclean, Nuala Ni Domhnall, Iain Crichton Smith, Michael Davitt, Kevin Macneil and Cathal O Searcaigh.

One hundred visual artists respond to the poetry in a variety of media and this exhibition features the work of Scottish artists including Calum Colvin, Elizabeth Ogilvie, George A. Macpherson, Edward Summerton and Frances Walker.

Also involved were a small team of calligraphers and typographer Don Addison who worked in collaboration with the artists to integrate the key lines of poetry and the artist's images.

Moray Art Centre will be running an education programme in conjunction with the art work including school visits and family days.

Director of Moray Art Centre, Randy Klinger, said they were delighted to be able to bring this rich language and art based exhibition to Moray which we will be expanding to include talks, tours, school visits and classes and thanked Gleaner Oils for their sponsorship.

Andrew Laing of Gleaner Oil and Gas said the exhibition had captured their imagination as they provide services around the area.

"As a business based in the Highlands which provides services to the Grampians, the Highlands, Argyll and Bute and the Western Isles, we are proud to support this exhibition," he said. "We have been impressed by the work of Moray Art Centre and were thrilled to have an opportunity to support art and art education in Moray."

Further information on An Leabhar Mor can be found on www.leabharmor.net

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