El Anatsui’s spectacular shimmering TSIATSIA – searching for connection (2013) adorns the University of Edinburgh’s handsome Old College Quad courtesy of Talbot Rice; Do Ho Suh explores ideas of home at National Galleries of Scotland; and Ibrahim Mahama has made a series of new works responding to the railway that runs beside the gallery at Fruitmarket. A few steps away, up the steeply winding Cockburn Street, Stills is showing an exhibition of Ukrainian photography. To the north of the city, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, always a hive of activity, has commissioned a new public work by Jan Pimblett. To the west, amid a host of new residential developments, Edinburgh Printmakers is presenting solo exhibitions by Ade Adesina, reflecting upon migration and ecological crisis, and Tayo Adekunle, exploring the power of storytelling, in a former rubber factory.
Edinburgh is often characterised as a city of cultural institutions, while the more affordable Glasgow is the place for artist-run initiatives and DIY organizing. Certainly, existing as an artist or writer in Edinburgh is challenging, with few affordable studio spaces, a surprisingly small contemporary market, and an inflated cost of rent not helped by landlords and council policies that sometimes feel like they favor tourism over residents. But it is important not to overlook the many artists who do live here and the organizations doing vital work across the city. The artist-run Embassy Gallery, housed in a basement space down a narrow lane, has been a key presence since 2003. More recent arrivals include the charity Outer Spaces, which has been setting up art studios in vacant commercial properties since 2021; Sett Studios on Leith Walk, an artist-run studio with dedicated gallery space; Mote102, a nonprofit in a sensitively renovated former shop; and Sierra Metro, a gallery and creative space further down Ferry Road. In beachfront Portobello, Art Walk Projects runs artist residencies, year-round public commissions, and community projects, as well as an annual festival (this year, September 7-15).
