Tag Archives: writing

Åsa Johannesson — The Queering of Photography.

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.

The dead don’t go until we do

30 April 2026

Join us this month as we make our way to Talbot Rice Gallery for their group show The dead don’t go until we do, where we will be joined by curator James Clegg. 

The dead don’t go until we do brings together four artists who channel the strength of family, friends and communities. It is about the collective power that runs across generations. The title of these collective exhibitions takes its inspiration from a line in Jackie Kay’s poem Darling. 

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas celebrates her ancestral Roma community. Through colourful fabric collages, she takes control of the images made about people, past and present, to overcome centuries of prejudice.  

Amol K Patil follows his late father and grandfathers’ bold writing and performances. He uses his art and poetry to share the struggles of those living in poverty in the City of Mumbai.  

Kang Seung Lee begins with research into historical archives, looking at the way marginalised communities are erased. But he uses the gaps and absences to make space for both the living and dead, in this exhibition linking with historical queer sites across Edinburgh.  

MADEYOULOOK is a collaboration between Molemo Moiloa and Nare Mokgotho. They explore the landscapes shaped by the frequently displaced Koni people in South Africa. Working from the ancient earthworks left by the Bakoni, they think about alternative relationships to the land. 

Jenny Holzer

29 April 2010 at 6pm

In collaboration with ARTIST ROOMS on Tour, Talbot Rice Gallery presents the first solo show in Scotland of the American artist Jenny Holzer.

Jenny Holzer has been at the forefront of American art since the early 1980s, gaining widespread recognition when texts from her Truism series appeared on vast electronic advertising board overlooking Times Square in New York. Throughout her career, Holzer has intrigued audiences by placing her provocative messages in unexpected contexts including posters, metal plaques, stone benches and electronic signs as well as transforming gallery spaces into places for serious political thought. Since 2001, Holzer has incorporated poetry and writing by others into her practice and since 2004, has made the inclusion of government documents central to her work.

For the Talbot Rice exhibition, Holzer’s characteristically provocative text-based works are shown, including a selection of Inflammatory Essays which present a range of challenging statements inspired by the texts of political theorists and religious fanatics; a series of screen prints made from declassified American military documents released under the Freedom of Information Act; an installation of text pasted directly onto the gallery walls of Truisms (1977-1979) – arguably Holzer’s best-known work; and a signature LED display Blue Purple Tilt, 2007 which completely transforms the Georgian gallery.

Joining us to question the use of text and language in contemporary art and to contemplate Holzer’s responsibility to her audience, will be Pat Fisher, Principle Curator of Talbot Rice and Zoe Fothergill, Curator and Educational Development Manager for Talbot Rice.