DIY Darlings: The artists on the fringe of Glasgow International

Glasgow International has always been bigger than its official programme. The contemporary art biennial sprouts exhibitions and performances all across the city; some in white cube galleries, some in artists' studios, and others in libraries, bowling greens, graveyards and even a car park. In Glasgow’s true DIY spirit, each year many artists and organisations curate a parallel programme of fringe exhibitions, hoping to catch the wave of people on their GI pilgrimage. While it’s the biennial’s official programme that captivates the attention of the mainstream, travelling a little off the map in search of its satellite programme can lead to the most fruitful discoveries.

First up on this whistle stop tour of GI’s fringe exhibitions is Horsepower, one of Glasgow’s newest galleries, in Haghill. In her exhibition Porthole, visual artist Holly O’Brien presents new sculpture, video work and live performance exploring connection, fantasy and intimacy. Through the myth of the mermaid, O’Brien interrogates the Jungian idea of collective unconscious, asking how this theory holds up in today’s digital realm where the self can become distorted and distant. Her choice of materials throughout the work – latex and gelatine – only add to this feeling of simulacra which underpins the show. 

Still from Lure (2026) by Holly O'Brien. Image courtesy of Holly O'Brien.

Flying from Haghill to Garnethill, we arrive at Grateful Gallery, a community-focused and fresh-faced space specialising in bold painting, street art and graffiti styles. Their group show, More Friends, encapsulates what they do best; curate a melting pot of an exhibition, jam-packed with work from friends, collaborators and those they admire.

At Kendall Koppe, the two-person show Signals & Echoes presents work from Spanish painter Gori Mora and New Zealander James Rigler, who specialises in sculpture. Concerned with the duality and friction of queer identity, the works navigate lust and longing and the feelings in-between.

Inside Govan’s artist-run gallery and studio Board Room Committee Room, interdisciplinary artist and architect Monya Riachi will be presenting her solo show, A Present Disturbance. Much like Riachi’s earlier work, the works interrogate loss as it pertains to ecological transformation, examining the politics of land and time.

Next up, we have Bonny Don’t Live at Home, a DIY gallery space in Hyndland. Curated by painter France-Lise McGurn and writer/biographer John Douglas Millar, the group show ‘I only have apple juice’ boasts some heavy hitters including photographer Peter Hujar and curator/writer Vince Aletti. Positioned from the complicated or uncomfortable gaze, the show focuses on overlooked works which interrogate desire and the messy ways we connect to art, history and each other.

Andrew Sutherland, Car 1 (2025). Image courtesy of the artist.

Not content with a single fringe show, creative co-operative SaltSpace have programmed a series of exhibitions over the course of GI. Kicking off the programme is Andrew Sutherland’s Yes Sesame, a collection of textile and light works inspired by fantasy characters, childhood and horror. Utilising embroidery, patchwork and mono-printing, Sutherland has created a collection of illustrative light-boxes, wall hangings and functional art objects which blur the boundaries of craft, design and fine art.

Next in line at SaltSpace is a series of new works from Rosie Aspinall Priest. Their show TUN poses questions about the cosmos, scale and survival, using the vehicle of the tardigrade, an eight-legged, microscopic creature known for its extreme resilience, including its ability to survive in space. Through large scale sculpture and experimental sound, the works on display veer slightly existential, coaxing us to reflect on our own survival.

Closing SaltSpace’s GI-adjacent run is group show Whereas My Eyes Rest on the Ground featuring work by Anna de Souza, Ines Hügle, Barnaby Wessell, Coraline Chen, Aurora Bucca, Amy Mei Sandler and Allegra Lavinia Fleur. Through the textures of abstract mark-making and lyrical line work, the works capture glimpses, touches and fleeting moments of uncertain landscapes. They communicate an openness and resistance, like traversing an unknown land through the haze of a dream.

It is these shows which orbit the biennial which are most effective in showing Glasgow in its truest light; as a city in flux. This is both its most exciting feature, and its biggest downfall. Although one could look at this vast satellite programme as a signal of precarity – a manifestation of the citiy's lack of infrastructure, long-term arts spaces and shortage of funding – it also cements Glasgow’s reputation as a DIY darling; what the city lacks in infrastructure, it makes up for in determination and gumption. This network of shows illustrates the porousness of the city, reflecting a grassroots scene that is deeply collaborative, innately curious and fiercely self-driven. Glasgow International may be anchored by the festival’s official programme, but the city is buoyed by its fringe shows.

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– Holly O’Brien: Porthole, Horsepower, 11 Aberfoyle St, until 14 Jun
– Monya Riachi, Board Room Committee Room, 7 Water Row, Govan, 7-14 Jun
– I only have apple juice (Vince Aletti, Paul Becker, Phil Collins, Moyra Davey, Peter Hujar, Patrick McAlindon, France-Lise McGurn, Gary Schneider), Bonny Don’t Live at Home, The Coach House, 12 Sydenham Ln, 7-22 Jun
– Gori Mora, James Rigler: Signals & Echoes, Kendall Koppe, 36-38 Coburg St, 2 Jun-17 Jul
– More Friends Group Show, Grateful Gallery, 50 Hill St, 6-28 Jun
– Andrew Sutherland: Yes Sesame, SaltSpace Coop, 38 Albert Rd, 5-8 Jun
– Rosie Aspinall Priest: TUN, SaltSpace Coop, 38 Albert Rd, 12-14 Jun
– Whereas My Eyes Rest on the Ground, SaltSpace Coop, 38 Albert Rd, 18-21 Jun