The artists and makers of Perth Creative Exchange are hosting their annual winter show.

Explore painting, print, ceramics, glass and more, all created by the fantastic artist community based out of the creative hub for the Tayside region.

Please note: the building will be closed on 13 December and from 23 December 2024 until 3 January 2025 for the holidays.

The artists and makers of Inverness Creative Academy are hosting their annual winter show.

Explore painting, print, textiles, photography and more, all created by the fantastic artist community based out of the creative hub for the Highlands.

Please note: the building will be closed from 23 December 2024 until 3 January 2025 for the holidays.

Dinnseanchas is a new series of photographic works which form part of a larger body of research developed during a residency in the west coast of Ireland.

The research is centred on the specifics of the landscape,  and its interweaving with the Irish  language and family  lineage. Methodologies include expanding more sustainable materials and processes within the production of work and testing the produce from both the land and the sea as plant-based developers. 

The term Dinnseanchas is an ancient practice which began as a process of naming places, informed by a combination of their natural and physical forms, or a reference to some of the historical layers and legends specific to that place. As it developed it became a form of mapping of  the entire country and is now recognised as a rich and important branch of knowledge in the Gaelic world. Dinnseanchas is also associated with perceptions  of ‘place wisdom’ – and  ways of understanding the landscape and ‘reading the manuscript of the land.’ 

The exhibition includes a text work by Sara O Brien, a writer/researcher based between Glasgow and Dublin.

Christina McBride is an artist based in Glasgow who has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally with solo exhibitions in New York and Mexico City. Much of her research is located within lens-based enquiry with a committed focus on analogue practices/processes, and expanding the discourse around its medium specificity – particularly in relation to time and place. She has a particular interest in alternative printing processes and expanding the use and understanding of sustainable and more environmentally conscious materials and processes.

Landscape both as a subject and a context within which to locate her practice, has been at the core of her enquiries over many years. Often works focus on transient, incidental and ephemeral phenomena in fleeting images that address abstraction, in order to question how one might articulate the experience of the natural world – simultaneously through both the image and materialitity of the photograph.

Christina also teaches on the Master of Fine Art (MFA) programme and in Fine Art Photography at the Glasgow School of Art.

Sara O’Brien is a writer and researcher based between Dublin and Glasgow. Her writing has appeared in MAP Magazine, The Drouth, Paper Visual Art, Glasgow Review of Books and Mirror Lamp Press, amongst other places. She has also produced texts to accompany exhibitions at various art spaces, including CCA Glasgow, David Dale Gallery, Glasgow, and An Gailearaí, Donegal. Her current research explores the intersections and interrelations between art and writing through the lens of translation.

These paintings were created during my final year at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee.

Welcome to an exhibition that places your interpretation at the forefront.  Art is a uniquely personal experience, shaped by individual perspectives, emotions, and backgrounds. The way you perceive each piece is influenced by numerous factors, whether it’s your own experiences, the visual elements like colour and symmetry, or even how others view the work.  These paintings were created during my final year at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee.

These works do not have titles to view that might influence your perception of the meaning of the work.  While an explanatory note is attached to the back of each artwork, I encourage you to leave it unopened at first (or even leave it forever unopened).  The true essence of the work lies in the connection you establish with it, free from any preconceptions. Your interpretation might align with my original intent, but it could just as easily differ, influenced by your personal experiences or the emotions stirred by the colours and forms.

Art isn’t solely about the artist’s vision; it’s equally about how you, the viewer, engage with it. Your background and mindset will shape what you see and feel, often revealing nuances that others might overlook.

As you explore this exhibition, take time to reflect on what you observe and let your imagination lead the way. Whether the colours and imagery stir feelings of anguish, joy, sorrow, love, or something entirely different, remember your reaction is the essence of this exhibition.  I’m simply giving you a shove, with dramatic imagery and colour for you to then create your own description of what the painting means.

Here, your interpretation is as important as mine. After all, it’s your opinion that truly matters.

As a Glasgow-born artist, my work is deeply influenced by the vibrant and raw energy of the city. My artistic journey began at the Tramway Open Studio, a space that allowed me to explore different mediums and ideas, laying the foundation for my formal education. After completing my City and Guild in Art and Design at Glasgow College, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into several prestigious art schools, ultimately choosing Duncan of Jordanstone, where I continue to develop my practice.

Art has become a powerful tool for me to manage my emotions and mental health. Through my work, I aim to shed light on the struggles faced by working people and those suffering from mental health challenges. A recurring theme in my practice is “The Pidgeon Man,” a well-known homeless figure on the streets of Dundee. His presence symbolises the marginalisation and resilience of those who are often overlooked. I’ve used this motif in some of my merchandise, available on my website.

I have sold over 100 pieces of artwork and have been commissioned by many people, with some collectors owning more than one of my works. Alongside my studies, I’ve organised events at university and worked various jobs to support myself, which has enabled me to travel and explore places of interest, such as Amman and Petra in Jordan. These travels have added to my experiences of different ways of life, from Kenya and Egypt to countries across Europe.

I’m also working on a dissertation exploring “the value of art”, examining how art influences behaviour, and the impact of art theft and notoriety. In the future, I hope to exhibit more widely, place my work in collections, and donate pieces to institutions and charities supporting mental wellbeing. My goal is to become a full-time working artist.

In the Making, is a group exhibition that brings together a mix of current and past members of Mutual Artist Studios, Edinburgh.

The exhibition title In the Making represents the position in which the artists find themselves; developing, growing, becoming, and truly in-the-making of their careers as artists. Individually, their work explores differing themes and techniques. However, the physical act of making is what unites them and their work. The artists in this exhibition are process-focused and makers in their own right. They all allow their intuition and everyday surroundings to feed into how they approach their art practice, and their outlook on the world.

The five emerging artists were brought together through shared studio space at Mutual Co-Op Artists Studios in Edinburgh. Benassi, McCullough, Nightingale and Taylor continue to occupy a space at Mutual Co-Op Artists Studios in Edinburgh. While McCullough is also based at Wasps in Granton Station, and Waldren holds a studio space at Proposition, Camden in London.

Jenna Waldren (b.1999) is an artist from North London. She graduated in 2021 with a First-Class Honours from the BA (Hons) Painting programme at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating Jenna remained in Edinburgh for two more years, where she joined the artist-run Mutual Co-Op studios. In July 2023, moved back to North London to attend the Intensive Drawing Course at the Royal Drawing School. She currently occupies a studio space at the Proposition Studios in Camden. Jenna exhibits regularly in both London and Edinburgh. Notable exhibitions include the ‘Chelsea Art Society 75th Annual Exhibition’, the ‘Society of Scottish Artists 130th Annual Exhibition’ at the Royal Scottish Academy and her solo show ‘The Art of Living’ at the Cass Art Space in Islington. In August 2024 she was awarded the BTA Rising Star Award and this October she will be appearing in the current series of ‘Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year’.

Nancy Nightingale (b.1996) is an Edinburgh-based artist, originally from Kent. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh in 2018, specialising in painting. Prior to this, she completed her foundation year at the Royal Drawing School, formerly known as the Prince’s Drawing School, in 2015. In April 2022, Nancy joined the artist-run Mutual Co-Op Studios, where she continues to develop her artistic practice. In 2023, Nancy exhibited a large selection of her work at Saorsa Gallery in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, in a duo exhibition alongside Candace DeFour Roberts. Other recent notable exhibitions include REVERB at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, Arranging a Window at 92 Degrees on Hanover Street, and at the grand opening exhibition for Art Pistol’s new gallery space in Glasgow. Nancy has participated in various projects, most recently completing a commissioned mural for Visit West End, which is now displayed just off Byres Road in Glasgow. Her work has also been featured in both September 2023 issues of The World of Interiors and London Life Magazine.

Tara McCullough (b. 1998) is an Irish artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She graduated with first-class honours in Painting from Edinburgh College of Art in 2021, where she was the recipient of the ECA Studentship Award. She then completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in Art and Design at The University of Edinburgh in 2022.
McCullough primarily creates art full-time while complementing her practice by teaching art classes to adults and high school students in Edinburgh. Her recent exhibitions include notable shows such as The Greenroom at Blackbox in Belfast, Group Portrait at Whitespace Gallery in Edinburgh, and All in Good Time at 92 Degrees in Edinburgh. She is also currently exhibiting at Wasps Granton Station in UNBOUND. McCullough is an active member of Mutual Artist Studios, Edinburgh Printmakers, and the WASPs Graduate Accelerator Programme, where she engages with dynamic artistic communities that foster collaboration and growth.

Hannah Benassi (b. 1997) is a contemporary artist based in Edinburgh. She graduated in 2019 with a First-Class BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, followed by a Master’s with distinction in Contemporary Curatorial Practice. Her early work earned her the Farquhar Reid Trust Prize for her experimental use of mixed media, and she was also recognised as a Saatchi Art Rising Star, marking her as an emerging talent in the art world. Since then, Benassi has exhibited in both group and solo shows across the UK, Portugal, and China, while expanding her online presence, particularly in the U.S. She has pursued international opportunities, completing residencies with PADA Studios in Barreiro and DUPLEX AIR in Lisbon, where she further honed her artistic practice through immersive experiences. Now a member of Mutual Studios, an artist-led co-operative in Edinburgh, Benassi is focused on refining the processes and techniques she has developed throughout her career. She continues to explore experimental approaches to mixed media in her work, pushing the boundaries of contemporary painting.

Charlotte Taylor (b. 1998) is a multi-disciplinary artist from Manchester, currently based in Edinburgh. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2021 with a BA (Hons) in Intermedia. After graduating, Charlotte has been working full time within the National Galleries of Scotland where she works as a Security Attendant. The role often leaves her alone with the nation’s collection, facilitating space for inspiration. Since August 2021, she continues to develop her artistic practice, residing at her studio in the artist-run Mutual Co-Operative. From 2022, Charlotte has exhibited and co-curated numerous artist-run exhibitions around Edinburgh, including shows with the collective, ALT-D at Edinburgh Palette’s, St Margaret’s House. Other exhibitions include: GUT, 2022 and Group Portrait, 2023; both held at Whitespace Gallery.

UNBOUND is an exciting exhibition showcasing the work of six emerging artists taking part in the Granton Station Graduate Accelerator project, an initiative by Wasps Studios, launched in October 2023. Over the past 12 months, these talented creative graduates have been immersed in a unique creative journey, supported by professional creative practitioners who have shared invaluable skills, knowledge, and insights that go beyond traditional educational environments.

Participating artists are: Kalin Lin (mentored by Lindsey Gardiner), Heather Roberts (mentored by Andy Kennedy), Shankar Saanthakumar (mentored by Pushpi Bagchi), Neslihan Tepehan (mentored by Alex Allan), Tara McCullough (mentored by Clementine Carriere) and Molly Kent (mentored by Fiona Hutchinson).

This exhibition presents a broad range of creative work, reflecting the diverse specialisms of each artist and the various stages of progress their projects have undergone. From visual arts to commercial creative skill sets, UNBOUND is a celebration of talent, growth and challenges of the creative industry while highlighting the professional development gained throughout the program. These artists, guided by their peers and mentors, have explored a wide spectrum of topics, putting into practice the lessons learned. UNBOUND serves as both a reflection on their individual journeys and a collective celebration of their shared experiences, marking the culmination of a year of learning, collaboration, and artistic evolution.

This pilot project, aimed at supporting emerging and practicing artists in professional development, has been supported by local creative partners and institutions as part of the Granton Waterfront regeneration project; Edinburgh College, North Edinburgh Arts, National Galleries or Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Council, delivered by Wasps Studios, Granton Station.

UNBOUND is a declaration: that creativity is not confined by traditional structures or the limits of formal education. Matched with, mentored, and inspired by professional creative practitioners who have imparted skills, stories, knowledge, and conversations rarely explored in educational settings. Together and individually, these Artists have navigated uncharted territory, where practical experience, critical insight, and creative experimentation merge.

Work is in flux, in progress—yet it is no less valid, no less powerful, rejecting the idea that creativity must be polished or complete to have value. The diversity of their practices, spanning visual arts and commercial skill sets, is their strength. Embracing the spectrum of creative specialisms, they represent, and the unpredictable paths they tread.

UNBOUND is a celebration of risk, reflection, and resilience. It marks the culmination of a year of growth—both as an individual and collective. Acknowledging the challenges of our industry and the reality of navigating it as emerging artists. The artists affirm the ability to shape it, to contribute to it with boldness and authenticity.

This is our manifesto: we are UNBOUND by the limitations of tradition. We are driven by curiosity, collaboration, and the courage to forge our own paths. The work we present is a testament to our adaptability and commitment to learning through practice. We are not defined by finished pieces, but by the process of becoming.

We are UNBOUND, and this is just the beginning.

Of Spirit, Of Power explores Shetland’s energy landscape, blending scientific and spiritual insights through knitting and photography, reflecting local heritage and resilience.

Peery Sloan’s new exhibition, Of Spirit, Of Power: The Vernacular of Energy, delves into the complex energy landscape of the Shetland Islands, intertwining scientific inquiry and spiritual perception. This body of work, created during a month-long residency in Scalloway in 2023, reflects Peery’s profound respect for the region, people, and their cultural heritage.

Drawing from the local knitting tradition, a knitted tapestry reinterprets the conventional pattern’s ‘materials, tension, tools, and process’ to depict the true components needed to generate Shetland heating. This work mirrors the island’s intricate energy landscape, marked by wind turbines and oil fields, and the locals’ struggle with high winter energy costs.

A photo series depicts a creature enveloped in wool, emblematic of the region, and adorned with a traditional straw Skekler hat. Peery’s creation, both alien and indigenous, strives to bridge the gap and understand the essence of the islands. This duality reflects Peery’s own journey as a foreigner, trying to assimilate through the renowned local wool.

Addressing the esoteric aspects of energy, Peery’s work explores the essence and ramifications of energy in its myriad forms. Questioning assumptions and illuminating the resilient spirit of the Shetland community as it navigates the complexities of energy, both seen and unseen. “Of Spirit, Of Power”, offers a space for meditation, exalts tactile exploration, experiences of unknowing, remembering, and revisiting.

Immersed in diverse landscapes to gather materials and engage with human and non-human forms, Peery’s work navigates the intricate relationships between materiality, technique, and societal dynamics. She believes that exploring our surroundings fosters a greater sense of belonging and connectivity. Peery listens deeply to the whispers of the dirt underfoot, the changing weather, and conversations with neighbors, valuing each equally.

Peery is currently exploring the act of reciprocity within social and natural landscapes at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, USA. This follows her participation in the Emile Norman Artist Foundation’s Residency Program, Casa Tagumerche residency, a fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center, and the Wasps residency in Scalloway, Shetland.

This is the first solo exhibition by the artist Wenyi Pan. The exhibition is supported by The ACS Glasgow Sculpture Studios Fellowship 23-24, showcasing some of the artist’s selected new works made throughout her residency at Glasgow Sculpture Studios.

A Defunct Recollection includes sculptural installations, ceramics and paintings. These works touch on behaviour, family, body, and illness. Suggesting different stories, they all focus on the artist’s rebuilding and exploration of her inner world over the past year as a foreigner, a 25-year-old, and a female art worker. Trying to find a way to live with the unpredictable, the artist intertwines her personal experience with the ever-changing social context in the process of making. The content of this exhibition is also full of trial and error for the artist herself, especially when she decided to use more colour to fill the space and see how it might influence the interpretation of the story that artworks intend to tell. For example, the sculptural installation We Call for More Coupons to Peace the World (2024) reframes the artist’s millennial memories and lost emotional sustenance when growing up in southeast China. Following her master’s degree show at Florence Street in 2023, the artist again experimented with semi-fictional storytelling when playing with the gallery setting and attempted to ask: How does an individual define the golden age? Through the presence of alienated and de-contextualized objects and images, the bridge between the joy of childhood and the sorrow of the present is slowly being built.

Wenyi Pan (b.1998, Hangzhou, China) lives and works in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Wenyi mainly works with sculptures, installations and space. She is a current artist in residency at Glasgow Sculpture Studios and a practice-based PhD student at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. She received her Master of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art in 2023 and has a BA in Public Art from the China Academy of Art. Wenyi also works actively as the organiser and facilitator of community art workshops in China and Scotland. She is the co-founder of the Logbook Collective and Petrichor Studio. Her works have been included in recent exhibitions such as A Room of One’s Own, New Glasgow Society, Glasgow (2023); We Knew We Know Nothing of, Saltspace, Glasgow (2023); Narrative Flutter, Barnes Building, Glasgow (2022); The Sun of Mind, Sunlight Valley, Beijing (2021); Living in the Contemporary, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou (2021); Song of Spirits, Art Museum of CAA, Hangzhou (2020); Mostra, Viale delle Pinete, Carrara (2019); Unknown Vector’ Youth Sculptor Group Exhibition, T-Project, Hangzhou (2019).

In celebration of Inverness Creative Academy’s fifth year, Wasps is hosting a group exhibition of works made by artists with a connection to the history of the landmark and the creative community that has been built there.

Colour, materiality and the joy of creating is the thread linking the three individualistic, past and present, GSA Dentist, Surveyor and Business Consultant artists together.

Niketa Shetty is an Indian-born British artist who lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

Niketa received her undergraduate degree in Painting and Printmaking (2021) and her MLitt Painting, Drawing and Print Media degree (2023) from the Glasgow School of Art. Niketa is at present pursuing a full-time practice-led PhD at the Glasgow School of Art, School of Design and is currently in her second year of research.

Her artistic practice is interdisciplinary, spanning a wide range of mediums that include painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and installation art. Niketa’s work defies conventional boundaries, striving to merge the realms and transformation of art, craft, and design, creating a vibrant and multifaceted body of work that engages with various forms of creative expression.

Niketa’s work is held in private collections.

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Veronica Mee takes inspiration from the Arte Povera Movement and the textile artists Bisa Butler and Shelia Hicks, Veronica’s work explores perception on both a human and societal level. Using both conventional and unorthodox materials; paint, fabric scraps, paper, rope and threads, her work aims to explore the boundaries we place on ourselves and others, questioning the narrative society can impose. What is craft? What is art? What is simply functional and unaesthetic, and what is superfluous but beautiful? And who decides?

Born and based in Glasgow, Veronica has worked as a NHS dentist for the last 30 years and is due to start her final year in painting and printmaking at Glasgow School of Art this September.

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Irene Buchan graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2024 with a First Class honours degree in Fine Art (Painting & Printmaking). Winner of the SSA New Graduate Award and exhibition invitee to the RSA Edinburgh in November/December 2024.

The origins of the work stems from her early experience as the only female surveyor on a construction site and blatant sexist behaviour of male co-workers.

Her current works are a component of a series in which body forms—male, female, phallic, pregnant belly, androgynous, fluid, and non-binary—are portrayed through the creation of slip-clay ceramics and other softer materials using an inverse cast of the original urinal cast.

Other works are based on memories of childhood, fragility and absence. Alternating between the two areas with the use of humour or oddness in some of the work all the while exploring the body through material play and form.