Two new exhibitions get underway next week at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, presenting compelling contemporary work across visual art and film.
The New Highland Graduates exhibition returns, after a break of 10 years, meanwhile visitors can also view who will be remembered here by artists Lewis Hetherington + CJ Mahony, programmed to co-inside with LGBT+ History Month.
The New Highland Graduates showcases work by ten emerging artists who graduated between 2022 and 2025 – seven of them from the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI). Selected through an open call, the exhibition celebrates the strength and diversity of contemporary creative practice emerging from the Highlands and Islands.
The selected artists work across a wide range of media, engaging imaginatively with the culture, geography and lived experience of the region. The exhibition reflects the depth of talent currently shaping the future of visual art and design in the Highlands and the participating artists are: Caitlin Allison, Codie Anne, Seasaidh Cat, Mark Faulkner, Katy MacLachlan, Erin Matheson, Jan McCormack, Natalie Rattray, Donald Ellis Ross and Alexandra Smart.
A tender and powerful film, who will be remembered here draws intimate connections between queer people across the span of Scottish history. Artists Lewis Hetherington and CJ Mahony invited four queer writers to respond to sites cared for by Historic Environment Scotland, creating performances that explore the resonances and dissonances between personal identity and historic place.
Each writer responds in a different language: Robert Softley Gale (English), Harry Josephine Giles (Scots), Robbie MacLeòid (Gaelic), and Bea Webster (British Sign Language). Together, these performances bring to life experiences that have often been rendered invisible through the historical erasure of marginalised people. The resulting film offers a moving reflection on memory, presence and belonging.
Kirsten Body, High Life Highland’s Visual Arts Curator at the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery said: “Here at the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, inclusivity means creating space for many voices, lived experiences and ways of seeing the world. These exhibitions celebrate artists who reflect the richness and diversity of our communities, and we are committed to ensuring everyone can see themselves represented, valued and welcomed here.”
Following a preview event on Friday 13 February at 6pm, both exhibitions are open to the public from 14 February to 4 April 2026. For more information about the exhibitions please contact Kirsten Body via email: kirsten.body@highlifehighland.com or call: 07751 020458.
Image: ‘What a Pair’ diptych by Erin Matheson
