Scottish Art Highlights: July 2026

On the back of Glasgow International, several standout shows continue into the summer. At Street Level Photoworks, Aqsa Arif’s Beneath the Ivory is Molten Brown subverts Western misinterpretations of a first-century CE Indian ivory statuette. Arif has transformed the exhibition space into a golden theatre for the figure of Yakshi – a tree-dwelling nature spirit – to explore diasporic selfhood through moving image and photographic tapestries. The exhibition continues until 30 August.

Meanwhile, David Wojnarowicz: some day this will all be crumbling ruins reverberates with political pertinence. As Trump’s American regime cracks down on the multiplicity of gender and sexual expression, the late Wojnarowicz – a multidisciplinary artist and AIDS activist prominent in the East Village scene – shows us how history repeats itself. Set in a building that teeters on the edge of dilapidation, the exhibition is a fiery call to action as well as a tender memorial to Wojnarowicz and his loved ones, who lost their lives to AIDS. See it at The Modern Institute before it closes on 28 August.

In Dundee, Ecuadorian artist Adrián Balseca presents In the Forest Ruins at the DCA, an exhibition that encompasses print, sculpture and moving image. Balseca digs deep into the global impact of colonialism and the capitalist logic that fuels resource extraction in Latin America. Concurrently, Portrait of Dorothy Gale offers a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz by Francis Dosoo. Both exhibitions run until 2 August.

In the capital, the art scene is busy gearing up for Edinburgh Art Festival. From 3 July until 6 September, Esther Castle: Abundant Parts is at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, showcasing a new installation and 'other-worldly garden.' Then, at Collective Gallery, Richard Maguire explores power relations and archival representations of race and sexuality in There Is No Beginning, As There Is No End. Maguire’s solo show runs from 10 July until 14 September.