30 July 2026
Join us this month for Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror at the Portrait Gallery where we will be joined by curator Ben Harman.
Working at the forefront of developments in digital photography, Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror, charts 20 years of ground-breaking work by this pioneering photographer. McMurdo has blazed a trail in the experimental use of computers and digital tools in photography from the early days of computer-based learning in schools to the growth of the internet and networked gaming.
Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror comes at a time when the digital landscape is changing faster than ever before, with technology offering limitless possibilities and scope for imaginative learning. With children spending more and more time online, the exhibition offers a fascinating insight into the impact of technology on learning and play in childhood.
28 May 2026
This month join us as we head to Stills Gallery for their new exhibition Åsa Johannesson — The Queering of Photography.
Åsa Johannesson is an artist working across photography and writing. Over the past two decades she has explored the possibilities of queer visual vocabulary within photographic portraiture – a practice that intertwines queer documentary approaches with performative formalist aesthetics.
The Queering of Photography (2015–2025), an ambitious long-term project, investigates the complex relationship between queer identity and photographic representation. Developed in collaboration with the London LGBTQ+ community and at artist residencies at the British School at Rome, The Queering of Photography presents a meticulous study of pose, gaze, and composition.
26 February 2026
Join us at our February Spin event as we head to Modern One to see ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois|Helen Chadwick|Robert Mapplethorpe. We’ll be joined by Lucy Askew, Head of Modern & Contemporary Art, who will share her insights along the way.
The displays feature Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick and Robert Mapplethorpe. Each presentation offers a distinctive and diverse approach to ideas of self-expression, identity and the complexity of our inner life. Highlights include Louise Bourgeois’s three-metre-high Spider; Helen Chadwick’s innovative light boxes and a playful sculptural installation and striking self-portraits by Robert Mapplethorpe.
These displays are part of a wider refresh at Modern One, highlighting modern and contemporary works from the national collection.
30 October 2025
Resistance explores how acts of resistance have shaped life in the UK, and the powerful role of photography in documenting and driving change. For the Spin evening we will be joined by Senior Curator for Photography, Ben Harman.
Conceived by acclaimed artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen, the exhibition brings together works by renowned photographers such as Vanley Burke, John Deakin, Fay Godwin, Edith Tudor-Hart, David Hurn, Tish Murtha, Humphrey Spender, and Paul Trevor, alongside lesser-known photographers who documented these powerful stories. Drawing photographs from various archives, collections and image libraries, McQueen has deliberately focused on moments captured before digital cameras became commonplace.
Presenting a century of activism, Resistance gives a voice to the stories and images from history which have been buried in UK archives until now. McQueen amplifies underrepresented voices to present a compelling exploration of overlooked histories, that will shed light on the forgotten stories of individuals whose contributions have helped define the course of Britain’s history.
29 May 2025
Join us to look at Hayward Gallery’s photography show that explores communities across the UK.
Curated by Johny Pitts (whose exhibition of work we visited back in 2023), the show spans four decades, examining cultural perspectives from across Britain after the Cold War. Joining us will be Stills Visitor Coordinator and Photographer, Daisy Mason.
Also you’ll have the chance to use the Stillsautomat. It’s the only analogue photobooth in Scotland. For £7 (contactless) you get to create four mini self portraits in a small mechanical darkroom. The prints from Stillsautomat evoke a nostalgic moment that is way cooler than the contemporary digital selfie.
30 January 2025
This month we’ll be delving into 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection. This world-class collection officially started in 1984 with the premise of establishing a significant body of works by the pioneers of photography, Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. Over the last 40 years numerous collectors and photographers have donated works, from the Edinburgh Photographic Society to a collection of contemporary works that have been acquired by the National Galleries and Tate.
The selected pieces on show are from an extensive range of over 55,000 works, covering a broad scope of the lens from social documentary to contemporary art. There’s a lot to pack in here, covering a range elements, so we focus on the many dimensions, techniques and compositions that we can fit in.
Joining us on this exciting journey will be Edinburgh-based photography scholar and lecturer Dr Roberta McGrath. Roberta writes on the history, theory and politics of photographic representation.
25 July 2024
This month we will be joined by Chief Curator Lucy Askew as we make our way to Modern Two for Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990.
This touring exhibition is a timely exploration of the work and lived experiences of a post-war generation of women artists that have largely been omitted from art historical narratives. Surfacing the wealth and diversity of work created in the UK during the 1970s and 80s, a period of seismic social and political change, it demonstrates, across a wide variety of mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, film and photography, how women’s needs were marginalised within mainstream culture and reveals how these artists used radical ideas and methods to confront issues that will resonate with contemporary audiences – from access to healthcare and class struggles to ecological disaster, racism, and misogyny.
27 July 2023
For this month’s Spin event we will be heading to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to discuss the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, with curator Louise Pearson.
Capturing and sharing emotional, dramatic, or everyday moments in life is the magic of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. Featuring celebrated professionals and enthusiastic amateur photographers, the prize celebrates the very best in contemporary photography, drawing on over 4,000 entries from 62 countries.
The final selection showcases 51 portraits from 36 artists, which includes several famous faces, including footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. The winner of this year’s Prize is Clémentine Schneidermann for the series Laundry Day. The socially distanced portraits of the series were taken during times of quarantine, self-isolation, and national lockdowns. In the words of the artist, they ‘document micro events which deal with the passage of time through the small moments of our daily lives’
