Sam Ainsley and Alex Dempster – What if it isn’t there…

Sam Ainsley and Alex Dempster – What if it isn’t there…
4th July – 8th August 2026
Garnethill Gallery 

This two-person exhibition presents shared interests in natural systems and the earth’s structures and rhythms. Sam Ainsley (D.Litt., R.S.A.) thinks of her work as a form of “emotional and intellectual mapping” that tries to uncover correspondences and relationships between natural, (biological, geographic, geological) phenomena, the human body and the human condition. For this exhibition, she will show a body of new work called ‘The Bed Drawings’, made during an enforced period of bed rest following a road accident earlier in the year. Glasgow-born Alex Dempster’s artistic practice is shaped by a lifelong fascination with nature, geology and the branching networks that appear across myriad forms in nature. From the delicate veins of leaves to the intricate patterns of river systems and geological fault lines, these interconnected structures embody the hidden order of the natural world. Dempster was a student on GSA’s Master of Fine Art course (he attended 1988-1990), whilst Ainsley was Head of the MFA. 

Sam Ainsley has forged a remarkable career within the visual arts sector nationally and internationally. From 1985 to 1991 she taught on the Environmental Art programme when she then co-founded the MFA course. 

Alex Dempster attended The Glasgow School of Art 1984 – 1988 (BA Hons.), then 1988 – 1990 (MFA).  Dempster worked as an Art & Design teacher from 1991- 93 becoming a Principal Teacher of Art and Design in 1993, teaching Art and Design and Photography until his retirement in 2022.