Scotland + Venice returns for 2026
Following a pause in 2024, the Scotland + Venice project returns in 2026 with a project from artist duo Bugarin + Castle. The presentation, curated by SCAN member Mount Stuart Trust, will represent Scotland at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
The Glasgow-based artist duo Bugarin + Castle (Davide Bugarin and Angel Cohn Castle), will present a multi-layered new project that uses the concept of the parade as a lens to explore complex emotional legacies of shame, pride and celebration. Drawing on queer histories, Scottish archives and Filipino cultural heritage, it will examine how sound and costume shape social control. The artists’ interdisciplinary art practice traverses cabaret performance and architectural methodologies, driven by queer and decolonial research.
Mount Stuart Trust, based on the Isle of Bute, will curate the project, working with the artists and a series of partners. The Venice exhibition will also be exhibited at Mount Stuart in Summer 2027, before further presentations in Scotland to be announced. Dunoon Burgh Hall and BUZZCUT also form part of the project network, reflective of the interdisciplinary work of the artists and Scottish cultural sector. Forma, an arts charity working across the UK and internationally, will provide production support for the film element, building on their previous Scotland + Venice experience working with Alberta Whittle in 2022. Further roles and touring information will be announced soon, as well as the venue for the project in Venice.
The project was chosen to represent Scotland by a panel including Sepake Angiama, Director, Iniva, Norah Campbell, Head of Arts Scotland, British Council, Simon Groom, Director, International & National Partnerships, National Galleries of Scotland, Emma Nicolson, Head of Visual Arts, Creative Scotland and Lucia Pietroiusti, Head of Ecologies, Serpentine.
Bugarin + Castle said, ”We first met performing in the mess and noise of queer cabaret in Edinburgh. A decade later, that spirit still drives our practice. We’re thrilled to show new work together in Venice, transforming the venue with spatial and drag-inflected interventions that confront questions of gendered performance and colonial sound control, rooted in our lived experience. We aim to trouble easy narratives on the contested ground of identity today.”
Alastair Evans, Chair, Scotland + Venice Partnership, said “Scotland + Venice 2026 presents a timely opportunity to showcase the diversity, innovation and internationalism of contemporary Scottish art. This presentation reflects the depth of collaboration, critical engagement and inclusive practice that defines the Programme’s future direction”
Morven Gregor, Curator, Mount Stuart Trust and Sophie Crichton Stuart, Chair of Mount Stuart Trust, who founded the Mount Stuart contemporary visual arts programme in 2001, said, “We are excited to curate the work of Bugarin + Castle, extending our shared commitment through the opportunities presented by Scotland + Venice to bring this ambitious work of performance and moving image to life and to reach our audiences on the West Coast of Scotland and internationally. We look forward to celebrating the return of Scotland to Venice with our communities across Scotland and beyond, and, as ever, recognise the positive impact of working in collaboration with key partners in the cultural sector. In 2026 Mount Stuart Trust’s Contemporary Visual Arts Programme celebrates 25 years, and we are delighted that part of this special year will be working with Angel Cohn Castle and Davide Bugarin on Scotland + Venice.”
Veronique AA Lapeyre, Director, Scottish Contemporary Art Network, said, “The return of Scotland + Venice in 2026 marks a renewed celebration and investment in Scottish contemporary art. SCAN is delighted to see that this important partnership recognises, and further amplifies, the internationally renowned work of Scotland’s artists and organisations that inspires people at home and abroad. It’s vital that as a country we continue to nurture international partnerships and build an artistic community united around global social concerns and cultural production.”
Image: Davide Bugarin, Angel Cohn Castle and Morven Gregor at Mount Stuart. Photo by Charlotte Cullen, courtesy Scotland + Venice.