John Patrick Byrne: A Big Adventure Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Until 18 September W: glasgowlife.org.uk The first retrospective on the artist and writer in the past 20 years, the exhibition features over 40 self-portraits and other examples of the versatile icon’s eclectic practice. Still painting in his 80s, this show offers a dive into the vibrant polymath’s restless mind and practice.
Perth Mis(sing) Information Perth Museum and Art Gallery Until 19 June W: culturepk.org.uk Curated by Dundee-based artist Saoirse Amira Anis, the show is a ‘long-overdue showcase of the work of Black artists at Perth Museum’. Battling the generally white-washed account of art history in Scotland, it allows featured artists such as Tayo Adekunle, Nkem Okwechime, Tako Taal and Natasha Ruwona to narrate their own histories.
UK wide Me, Myself, I: Artists’ Self-Portraits Royal West of England Academy, Bristol Until 19 June W: rwa.org.uk The Fleming Collection has loaned three works by Scottish artists to this survey of self-representation over the past 300 years in Britain. Over 80 works by the foremost British artists constitute the landmark reopening exhibition of this historic institution.
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A Window into Scottish Art: The Ingram & Fleming Collections The Lightbox, Woking Until 3 July W: thelightbox.org.uk An overview of the history of Scottish art through loans from two significant private collections. With examples ranging from 18th-century Highland landscapes to contemporary work exploring colonial legacies, the exhibition provides a didactic and prismatic view of the art that has shaped and redefined Scottish identity and culture through time. Scottish Women Artists: Transforming Tradition Sainsbury Centre, Norwich Until 3 July W: sainsburycentre.ac.uk Curated by the Fleming Collection and bringing together a survey of works by female Scottish artists, the exhibition celebrates the richness, variety and inventiveness of the women who paved the way in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Traquair and Eardley, and international stars in the contemporary scene like Borland and Whittle. David Eustace: Memento Mori The Fine Art Society, London 30 June–29 July W: thefineartsociety.com A series by Scottish photographer and director David Eustace will open at the FAS for London Art Week. Eustace's arresting and humbling documentation of decaying flowers serve as a reminder of our own fragility.
The Glasgow Boys The Fine Art Society, London 30 June–29 July W: thefineartsociety.com When they rose to prominence in the 1880s, there was a sense of wonder at how a group of Scottish painters could hold such sway in the academies, salons and secessions of western Europe and North America. The gallery will showcase a selection of work by the famous group to coincide with London Art Week.
Venice Alberta Whittle: deep dive (pause) uncoiling memory Scotland + Venice, Docks Cantieri Cucchini, Venice Until 27 November W: scotlandandvenice.com Two rooms in a rehabilitated boatyard on the island of San Pietro di Castello host Whittle’s commissioned work which represents Scotland at the 59th Venice Biennale. The show, including film, sculpture and tapestry, confronts racism, colonism, migration and police brutality. Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way British Pavilion, Giardini, Venice Until 27 November W: venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org Commissioned to represent the UK, Boyce’s work has been awarded the 59th Biennale’s top prize, the Golden Lion. The sound installation, centred around an a capella chorus of five black female voices, has been considered the ‘perfect selection for this time in UK history’.
