Scottish Art Highlights: September 2026

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) is awash with France-Lise McGurn’s intuitive painting. In The Charm Offensive, the Scottish artist’s site-specific paintings-turned-installations carry a darkly comical edge, as she juxtaposes images of contemporary urban life with female figures through collage. The large exhibition – which runs until 15 November – marks a nostalgic return to the city for McGurn, as she studied for her BA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.

From 10 to 25 September, Everything for Everybody brings into dialogue two significant social documentary photographers from Ukraine and Scotland: Mykola Bilokon and Franki Raffles. The artists shared an interest in capturing working-class life and gendered labour, despite working in different social and geographical contexts. Hosted by Generator Projects in Dundee and on tour from Ukraine, the exhibition boldly asks ‘whose stories are we archiving now, and for whom?’ Everything for Everybody contrasts Bilokon’s and Raffles' works with those of several contemporary artists who explore the politics of the archive, including Tako Taal and Selma Selman.

France-Lise McGurn, What Every Woman Wants (2026). Courtesy of the artist, MASSIMODECARLO, London and The Modern Institute, Glasgow.

Over in Glasgow, Harold Offeh’s Mothership 2.0 Collective lands in Tramway on 5 September. The artist – who is greatly inspired by Afrofuturism – invites multi-generational visitors to engage in an interactive sci-fi playscape. Using sound, text and objects, Offeh prompts us to wonder what the future might look like if we unburden ourselves from the rules of planet Earth. The Mothership 2.0 Collective will zip away on 7 February 2027.

Running from 17 until 20 September, Glasgow Art Weekend is a new city-wide initiative that builds on the success of last year’s pilot Southside Weekend. Led by Glasgow Art Map, the programme encompasses exhibitions, open studios, performances and publication launches. Key moments include Megan Rudden’s pamphlet launch with Rosie’s Disobedient Press, a 40th birthday party for the indomitable Transmission and a Radical Southside Tour.

Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, Embassy Gallery will host the launch of Edinburgh Art Map on 6 September. Created in collaboration with Glasgow Art Map, the Edinburgh version will champion exhibitions and events happening across the city.