Holding Space: Five Years of Outer Spaces' artist studios

The Skinny’s new parent organisation, Outer Spaces, does more than rescue Scottish independent cultural media companies. This month they’re celebrating their fifth birthday as a nationwide provider of free studio space to artists at all stages of their careers. Started in October 2021, the charity operates by occupying vacant commercial properties, filling the spaces formerly used by bankers or insurance companies with creative practitioners. For free. They started with 16 artists, and now serve 1279 in locations across the nation, from Greenock to Inverness. 

The freedom afforded to these artists allows space for experimentation and development at scale. It offers a space to take risks without worrying about paying rent. It’s a singularly impactful contribution to the Scottish creative ecology. 

Our office has been in an Outer Spaces building for the last year. The space is enormous, and presents a wealth of possibilities. We’re in among a creative community, something that’s really important to us as an organisation and individually. Our room used to be an estate agent's; the rooms upstairs were formerly home to an asset manager; the surrounding buildings are all normal offices. It’s an interesting juxtaposition between two worlds that don’t commonly meet. There’s an inherent precarity to the arrangement – buildings can return to commercial use with only a few weeks’ notice. We first arrived at Outer Spaces after being unceremoniously evicted from a paid-for space, so there isn’t necessarily more stability elsewhere. 

Beyond the studios, Outer Spaces have created opportunities in the form of residencies, exhibitions, commissions, and the First Steps programme, which offers spaces to new graduates. Network artists have been supported to work at the Venice Biennale this year, an unparalleled opportunity for international professional development in the visual arts. As an organisation committed to supporting artists and creative communities, and building networks for the Scottish cultural sector, this is just the start. To celebrate these first five years, we asked some of the artists from across Outer Spaces to share what the provision of free work space has meant to them. 

Early career artist Rosie Priest has been in the network for just over a year, arriving shortly after leaving Leith School of Art. They say: “Before joining Outer Spaces, I simply didn’t have the physical space to make the kind of work I was excited about. My practice often involves large-scale sculpture and installation, and having a studio has given me the freedom to experiment with scale in a way that I don’t think many artists get the opportunity to do so early in their careers. I’m hugely grateful for that freedom to experiment and develop my practice.

“Just as importantly, Outer Spaces has given me a community of other artists to work alongside. I’ve developed a group of studio friends who offer the kind of critical feedback and friendship that can be difficult to maintain after leaving art school. It means I can continue having thoughtful, challenging conversations about the work I’m making.”

Alberta Whittle in an Outer Spaces studio at City Park Glasgow. Photo by Outer Spaces

The network supports artists at all stages of their careers: Turner nominees alongside recent graduates, those preparing for their first-ever exhibition near someone collating a career retrospective for the National Galleries. That mix is crucial for building a thriving creative community. Olivia Priya Foster was one of the emerging artists who took part in the EAF X Outer Spaces HOST residency at the EAF’s Pavilion space on Leith Street last year. She says: “As an emerging artist, being part of the Outer Spaces network has given me the opportunity to nurture ideas, be more ambitious and realise projects that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible at this stage in my career.” Renowned Glasgow-based multidisciplinary artist Alberta Whittle has been part of the network for two years. She says: “Without access to this remarkable studio network, the scope of my practice would undoubtedly change and focus on much less ambitious making. Here I have more room to experiment with my ideas, giving me more confidence and room to make and dream.” 

Filmmaker and musician Luke Fowler received production support for new film A Sensation Never Yet Known, first shown at this year’s Glasgow International. He says: “In a cultural landscape where risk-taking is increasingly rare, Outer Spaces' commitment to artist support offers not just production resources and physical space but the time and genuine permission to experiment without fixed outcomes.” You can see the film on 28 November as part of Deep Time, Fruitmarket’s annual festival of experimental music.

What's next? Outer Spaces have some projects in the pipeline, not least helping keep this magazine afloat. Like us, they remain committed to supporting the cultural ecosystem, nurturing talent and building systems that allow artists to thrive right here in Scotland.