Touching the surface - the Orkney paintings

31 August-9 November. Entry free. 28-36 Victoria Street, Stromness, KW16 3AA.

This autumn the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness are showing a series of Orkney works from Victoria Crowe - one of Scotland’s leading painters. Back in 2022, Crowe made two trips to Orkney as part of her Royal Scottish Academy residencies and some of the works made during these trips are on display as well as others created during other time spent in Orkney.

https://www.pierartscentre.com/

Victoria Crowe is one of Scotland’s leading paintersVictoria Crowe is one of Scotland’s leading painters (Image: free)

Beyond Forever

24 August-6 October. Entry free. Inverness Creative Academy, 3 Woodside Village, Inverness, IV2 5FT.

Abstract artist Rowena Comrie is celebrating her biggest solo show to date. The show features over 40 works from the artists varying in sizes from large to medium and small works inspired by the coastlines, the distant horizons and the wide skies. All of the art on display has been created in the last five years and appears over two floors of the gallery.

https://www.rowenacomrie.co.uk/

Futureproof

24 August-3 November. Entry free. Street Level Photoworks, Trongate 103, Glasgow, G1 5HD.

Futureproof returns for its 16th year to champion the talent and diversity of newly graduated artists across Scotland’s dedicated Photography and Fine Art courses. This exhibition is just a taste of the tidal wave of creativity which emerges every year from Scotland’s further education institutions.

https://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org/

Hame

30 August-28 September. Entry from £5. Strathnaver Museum, Bettyhill, Thurso, Highland, KW14 7SS.

Australian ‘maker with words’ Fiona Dempster will stage a specially created solo exhibition for Strathnaver Museum exploring the concept of home. The work in the exhibition foregrounds women and women’s work including contemporary expositions of traditionally female skills such as dyeing, stitching and the use of threads.

Oisin Byrne

31 August-20 October. Entry from £17. Mount Stuart House and Gardens. Rothesay, PA20 9LR.

Contemporary painter Oisin Byrne has taken inspiration from handwriting of literary giants. It’s the first exhibition in Scotland from the Irish artist who has delved into lesser-known Gaelic and Irish book archive. These new paintings are complimented by a live music performance based on excerpts from his notebooks as well as a series of recording and their accompanying video works.

https://www.mountstuart.com/

This is Oisin Byrne's first Scots exhibitionThis is Oisin Byrne's first Scots exhibition (Image: free)

 

https://www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk/

What a Wonderful Day in a Wonderful World

24 August-1 July 2025. Entry free. Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, 21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT.

This new public mural from the Ukrainian collaborative duo Etching Room 1 (Kristina Yarosh and Anna Khodkova) taps into the long lineage of political murals as a way to celebrate collective struggles. Their work aims to be a message of hope against the background of terrible events and speaks of the artists’ experiences of conflict and their resilience.

https://edinburghsculpture.org/

Yer Dinner’s Ready 31 August. Entry £35. Strange Field, 105 French Street, Glasgow, G40 4EH.

A nostalgic evening of cuisine, performance and installation featuring new work from Len Goetzee, Durty Beanz and McLeod. Visitors are transported to a simpler time of after school TV dinners and Nokia 3310 polyphonic ringtones offered up by a group of Glasgow based artists.

https://www.strangefield.org/

‘What Presence: the Music Photography of Harry Papadopoulos’

3 August-28 September. Entry free. Tolbooth Stirling, Tolbooth Jail Wynd, FK8 1DE.

Harry Papadopoulos captured an era where the sound of Scotland echoed out across Britain and the world. For bands such as Aztec Camera, Orange Juice and the Bluebells, Papadopoulos helped define their striking image. This exhibition includes images of legendary Scottish acts such as The Associates, Josef K, The Dreamboys and others.

https://stirlingevents.org

Jan Pimblett: Hybrids

24 August-6 October. Entry free. Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, 21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT.

This new commission by Jan Pimblett presents a gathering of curiosities, strange beings, potent totems and artefacts. The viewer experiences an uncomfortable sense of being observed and assessed by the strange inhabitants behind the glass who briefly experience life before returning to a state of shapeless matter.

https://edinburghsculpture.org/

No More Sheep: Margot Sandeman on Arran

24 August-1 June. Entry free. Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, G3 8AG.

A new display focusing on the artwork of Glasgow School of Art graduate Margot Sandeman is now open in the Fragile Art gallery in Kelvingrove Museum. The isle of Arran represented an escape from the stresses and strains of city life for Sandeman and this is evident in her poetic artworks that often focus on sheep.

https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/

Charlotte Cohen