Scottish Art Highlights: November 2026

Bowie fans rejoice! One hundred highlights from the chameleon of rock’s archive are heading North. At V&A Dundee’s David Bowie: On Tour, get up close to the artist’s costumes, instruments, tour photography, unpublished scripts and handwritten lyrics. The show opens on 4 November, and runs until 15 February 2027.

Over in Glasgow, hear refugees’ testimonies about creativity and challenges of settling in Glasgow at Listen Gallery. Part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, The Art of Family Life presents audio-visual works that explore intangible cultural heritage alongside themes of community gathering and belonging. The exhibition runs until 18 November.

Still from the music video for 'John, I'm Only Dancing' by David Bowie © Mick Rock 1973, 2026. Courtesy of the Estate of Mick Rock

A new sculptural-sound installation by Tai Shani arrives at Jupiter Artland, complementing her haunting outdoor work of a giantess, The Spell of The Dream. M.I.A.S.M.A. resembles an ancient castle ruin; the work reinterprets the Greek tragedy Antigone to interrogate how love and resistance can be possible during times of crisis.

Also in Edinburgh, Time + Space at Collective Gallery features new work by four early career artists: Huss Al-Chokhdar, Hetal Chudasama, Gianni Esporas and Abi Lewis. The exhibition traverses the themes of myth, memory, queerness and ritual through the mediums of textiles, film, painting and sculpture. The exhibiting artists created this body of work while participating in a development programme led by Collective. Time + Space closes on 20 Dec.

Finally, head to Summerhall to see Secondhand Smoke (17-22 Nov), a solo exhibition by RSA New Contemporaries X The Skinny awardee Ruthella Dafnis. Through rhinestone-studded sculpture and illusory images, Dafnis processes the recent loss of her father and, meanwhile, sheds light on issues of class and care experience.