In Scotland, you’ll never be at a loss for things to do or see. With emerging artists colliding with established household names, there’s something for everyone. Here’s SNACK’s guide to the best spots to take it all in.
Beginning with Edinburgh, you don’t need to travel far from campus to see a variety of thoughtprovoking pieces. The Talbot Rice Gallery, the University of Edinburgh’s public art space, is situated just beside the Old College. Until 29th September, you can visit El Anatsui’s Scottish Mission Book Depot Keta for free. With exhibitions from groundbreaking artists, each collection here is strikingly current and utilises the university’s research resources to interrogate the societies we exist within.
For something a bit different, Edinburgh Printmakers hosts exhibitions that highlight the forms of printmaking they facilitate in their studios. In their fascinating heritage building (which used to be home to a rubber factory and a brewery) you can take a look at INTERSECTION by Ade Adesina, one of the most talented printmakers in contemporary art right now. The exhibition runs until 10th November.
In Leith, mote102 is a shop and gallery space that focuses on local artists. This September sees them host a residency for Sinéad Kempley, an artist and PhD researcher at Edinburgh College of Art. Her work focuses on unstable materials and how they can transform themselves, and she will be exhibiting from 9th till 14th September.
For film lovers, the Cameo Picturehouse provides a variety of new releases and cult classics, as well as exclusive previews and Q&As with directors, actors, and producers. What’s more, they offer a student membership which gives you two free tickets a year, and discounts on food, drinks, and snacks.
Hopping across to Glasgow, we find a city that caters for all tastes. If you fancy your art contemporary, the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) provides a number of free exhibitions by both local and international artists. Until 29th September, you can see Your Third Space, made by the GoMA Youth Group (aged 16–26). This interactive exhibition examines the ‘third space’ – somewhere that is not work or home, but a place to gather freely.
Towards the east end of Glasgow is David Dale Gallery & Studios, a non-profit space that promotes emerging artists as they pioneer new forms and methods of creation. Opening here on 20th September is Holly White: Videos, a series of films created between 2014 and 2019 that all explore different and wide-ranging themes, from the housing crisis to chocolate bar reviews.
Slightly off the beaten track you will find an opportunity to support Glasgow’s local creatives at The Hidden Lane, hosting around a hundred studios full of original work and offering affordable pieces you can take home.
Receiving a special mention is Flos Collective, aimed at highlighting women and non-binary creatives in Glasgow and giving them a much-needed platform after leaving university. The collective hosts workshops, retreats, and exhibitions, and provides a supportive and inclusive community for these artists and makers.
We’ve all heard of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but many are not aware of the only other V&A, situated on the riverside in Dundee. The current free exhibition, Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World, explores the parallel growth of experimental photography and bustling cities across the globe. ExplorersYou can also take a look at their Scottish Design Galleries and explore a collection of intricate objects, from tiaras to phone cases, all inflected by Scottish craftsmanship.
The Dundee Centre of Contemporary Arts (DCA) also provides a variety of events, films, and exhibitions. Right now, you can visit Claudia Martínez Garay’s Every seed is awakened, which showcases the Peruvian artist’s multimedia works, interrogating sociopolitical conflict in South America.
If you’re in Stirling, The University of Stirling’s own public art collection will be installing five new exhibitions for this academic year, and offers the opportunity to meet their new artists in residence, Gardner and Gardner, on the 5th September.
To uncover local creativity, head down to Made in Stirling, a marketplace that acts as a hub for makers in the city, not only showcasing and selling handmade prints, jewellery and ceramics, but offering artist-led workshops across many disciplines.
It would be remiss to curate a visual arts section this month without acknowledging recent funding cuts which will leave many artists in Scotland on unstable ground. Additionally, rising rent has forced many of our much-loved institutions and artist-led spaces to move or close down. The best way to support these places as individuals is to use them – visit them, talk about them, and let them know that they are appreciated in our cities.
Main Image: Edinburgh Printmakers – Christian Noelle Charles, WHAT A FEELING! 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.
