{"id":343833,"date":"2025-08-14T12:26:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/343833\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T12:26:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:26:17","slug":"ten-of-the-best-art-shows-to-see-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/343833\/","title":{"rendered":"ten of the best art shows to see this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edinburgh is once again joyfully alive with creativity and originality as the UK\u2019s largest arts event returns. Staged in the oak grove of the city\u2019s Botanical Gardens, the opening night of the 2025 Edinburgh Art Festival<\/a> presented a sensory explosion that set the tone for the entire run. <\/p>\n

British artist Linder\u2019s dazzling, genre-defying performance spectacle fused Holly Blakey\u2019s visceral choreography, Maxwell Sterling\u2019s haunting soundscapes and Ashish Gupta\u2019s flamboyant fashion, showcasing an eerie synthesis of body and nature. <\/p>\n

This year \u2013 the 21st edition \u2013 offers a rich celebration of memory, identity and imagination, and with 82 exhibitions across 45 venues, it\u2019s the biggest yet. Here\u2019s our pick of the best from a visual feast for lovers of contemporary art. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The ground-breaking feminist artist Linder.
\n EAF<\/p>\n

1. Linder: Danger Came Smiling<\/p>\n

This exciting show<\/a> is a retrospective spanning five decades of fearless, boundary-pushing art. From punk and feminist photomontages to surreal fashion interventions and video work, Linder dissects our cultural obsessions with feminism, fairytales, flora and the human form. A rich tapestry of provocation and enchantment, this is a show not to be missed.<\/p>\n

Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place until October 19 2025, free <\/p>\n

2. Who Will Be Remembered Here<\/p>\n

Lewis Hetherington and CJ Mahony present a powerful, poetic film<\/a> connecting queer lives across Scottish heritage sites. Developed in collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland, this is a deeply moving multilingual tribute to silenced histories and a comment on the erasure of cultures and identities. Personal stories are performed with passion in English, Scots, Gaelic and BSL. The show features places imbued with personal meaning, such as the industrial ruins of Biggar gasworks and the 2000-year-old Machrie Moor stone circle on Arran.<\/p>\n

EAF Pavilion, 45 Leith Street until August 24 2025, free <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A still from Who Will Be Remembered Here?
\n Lewis Hetherington & CJ Mahoney<\/p>\n

3. Drama 1882<\/p>\n

The UK premiere<\/a> of Egyptian artist Wael Shawky\u2019s exhibition explores the Anglo-Egyptian war through film installation featuring puppetry, drawings and historical narrative. Visually stunning and politically resonant, Shawky narrates religious wars, the Crusades and events leading up to the British occupation of Egypt from an Arab perspective. The show embraces lesser known and contradictory accounts to represent the making of history from an alternative perspective.<\/p>\n

Talbot Rice Gallery, South Bridge until September 28 2025, free<\/p>\n

4. Fire on the Mountain, Light on the Hill<\/p>\n

Buenos Aires-based artist Mercedes Azpilicueta\u2019s monumental tapestry<\/a> weaves stories of protest and political expression in a vibrant collage of archival and contemporary imagery. Referencing war, food economies, collective action and women-led rights movements, this is a powerful and insightful commentary on overlooked histories. August 22 marks Azpilicueta\u2019s live performance exploring themes of the struggles and resistance of women \u2013 real and fictional \u2013 across time.<\/p>\n

The Collective Gallery, City Observatory at Calton Hill until September 7 2025, free; live performance on Calton Hill, August 22, free<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A detail from Mercedes Azpilicueta\u2019s tapestry, Fire on the Mountain, Light on the Hill.
\n Mercedes Azpilicueta<\/p>\n

5. Humpty Dumpty<\/p>\n

British artist Mike Nelson has appropriated the Fruitmarket\u2019s Warehouse space to recreate a haunting labyrinth of a derelict housing estate in his latest show<\/a>. Unable to put things back together again, the installations arise from two sets of photographs documenting the condemned Heygate council estate in London, and new infrastructure building plans in Mardin, a city in eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border. The work captures cities in flux, commenting on construction and destruction, global politics and people\u2019s struggle against regeneration, gentrification and social cleansing.<\/p>\n

Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market Street until October 5, 2025, free<\/p>\n

6. Give Light And People Will Find The Way (Ella Baker)<\/p>\n

Scottish-Pakistani artist Rabiya Choudhry joins Chloe Reith (The Common Guild) and Martha Burns (National Library of Scotland) in conversation to discuss her new installation<\/a>. Drawing on the legacy of African-American civil rights activist Ella Baker, it merges her powerful and inspiring words with Andrew Carnegie\u2019s flaming torch \u2013 a symbol of enlightenment and public access to knowledge.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Give Light And People Will Find The Way by Rabiya Choudhry.<\/p>\n

The illuminated work, representing collective strength, resilience and the power of learning, finds its permanent home at Craigmillar Library, a civic space rooted in community. The unveiling coincides with Dear Library<\/a><\/strong>, a new exhibition celebrating the centenary of the National Library of Scotland, and reflecting the role of libraries as beacons of hope and empowerment.<\/p>\n

Craigmillar Library, 101 Niddrie Mains Road; Dear Library in-conversation event with Rabiya Choudhry<\/a>, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, August 14, 5.30pm, free<\/p>\n

7. Resistance<\/p>\n

Curated by British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen, this striking show<\/a> explores how countercultures and acts of protest have shaped life across the UK, and the powerful role of photography in documenting and driving change. It features renowned photographers such as Paul Trevor, Fay Godwin, Vanley Burke, John Deakin and Tish Murtha alongside lesser-known names. Underrepresented and marginalised voices are highlighted in this compelling exploration of overlooked histories.<\/p>\n

Modern Two, National Galleries of Scotland, 73 Belford Road until January 4 2026, \u00a314 (\u00a32-\u00a312 concession)<\/p>\n

8. The Edinburgh Seven Tapestry<\/p>\n

This extraordinary piece of work<\/a> designed by Scottish artist Christine Borland and created by the city\u2019s Dovecot Studios, commemorates the first women to enrol at Edinburgh University to study medicine. In 1870, the Surgeons\u2019 Hall riot saw student and public protesters attempting to block the seven women from sitting an anatomy exam. Although the riot proved unsuccessful, the women\u2019s fight to qualify as doctors eventually led to the Medical Act of 1876, legally permitting women to practise medicine. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A detail from The Edinburgh Seven Tapestry.
\n Christine Borland \/ Dovecot Studio<\/p>\n

The tapestry was created using a combination of traditional and modern materials and techniques. Borland\u2019s organic shapes are ingeniously based on cellular structure in motion, with magenta and cyan hues representing the dyes that were used in both textiles and the scientific staining of human cells in the 19th century.<\/p>\n

Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place until December 31 2025, free<\/p>\n

9. Ring of Truth<\/p>\n

A rare fusion of art, music and ancient philosophy makes up this collaboration between artists, musicians and historians. The show<\/a> explores cosmic harmony and mysticism inspired by the Music of the Spheres manuscripts \u2013 ancient Coptic compositions from 5th and 6th-century Egypt. It features the work of Nurah Farahat, Haroon Mirza, Jack Jelfs, Craig Coulthard, Luke Fowler, David Maclean, Julie Johnstone, Edward Summerton, Alan Grieve and William Voelkle. <\/p>\n

Blackie House, 6 Wardrop\u2019s Court until August 24, free<\/p>\n

10. Let Me Show You Who I Am<\/p>\n

Created to be shown on billboards across the city, Alice Rekab\u2019s arresting work<\/a> delves into themes of diaspora, migration, queer identity and mixed heritage. The artworks have been created through a dynamic series of workshops exploring Black and Irish legacies of community activism and creativity across the UK. The artist\u2019s explorations of Irish, Sierra Leonean, and Syrian family histories create powerful visual narratives of belonging. <\/p>\n

Across Edinburgh until August 24, free<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edinburgh is once again joyfully alive with creativity and originality as the UK\u2019s largest arts event returns. Staged…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[748,1102,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-343833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-edinburgh","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115027115260321733","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}