Degree Show Season 2023
Our Glen – Siobhan Chalmers, City of Glasgow College
The days are warming up and the sun is out, which can mean only one thing: it’s Degree Show time for Scotland’s latest cohort of art school graduates. From Glasgow to Shetland, there’s fresh work to see all month, tackling the pertinent themes of contemporary life with wit, intelligence and technical skill.
The City of Glasgow College’s Graduate Show is one of the newest degree shows on the scene. Open now at their city-centre campus, the exhibition showcases work from students on creative industries BA courses, including Contemporary Art Practice and Photography. We were instantly drawn to Sumayyah Javed’s enigmatic paintings of connections in nature, and Siobhan Chalmers’ photographs documenting working class environmental conservators.
Open daily until Wednesday 7 June (excluding weekends).
“eat_an_banana_1” Performance Video – Emily Chan, DJCAD
In Dundee, the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) were quick off the mark with their in-person degree show, held in May – but their online showcase is still open to explore. Two projects exploring humanity through personal gestures caught our eye: Clyde Williamson’s subtly political interventions in public space, and Emily Chang’s documentation of domestic, seemingly mundane activities like napping, journalling and snacking.
Online
REM – Corrie Jennison, The Glasgow School of Art
Back in Glasgow, The Glasgow School of Art’s annual Degree Show includes work from graduates in Photography, Painting and Printmaking, and Sculpture and Environmental Art. Open at the School’s Garnethill campus and online, the work on show addresses themes from gender to climate emergency, with a strong emphasis on craft and material technique – see Corrie Jennison’s dreamlike 35mm photographs, or Alissa Monova’s tactile printmaking. Be sure not to miss the MFA Degree Show at 5 Florence Street, too.
Open daily until Sunday 11 June.
It’s all change at Edinburgh College of Art’s Graduate Show, as students from all schools exhibit in the main building together for the first time this year. Aptly, it’s the large-scale work that really shines this year: we recommend Remi Jablecki’s paintings exploring gardening, queerness and Polish heritage, and Pagan McKenzie’s outsized, confrontational sculptures.
Open daily until Sunday 11 June.
In Aberdeen, the Gray’s School of Art Degree Show takes place later in the month, with graduates of Painting and Contemporary Art Practice exhibiting alongside several design disciplines. Early looks on the Gray’s Instagram account reveal work about lived experience with autism (Miriam Foy), the mundanity of traditional ‘women’s work’ (Lucy Gibb) and more.
Open daily Saturday 10 – Saturday 17 June.
Closing out Degree Show month is the University of the Highlands and Islands, with fourth year students presenting work at all three campuses in Moray, Orkney and Shetland. Work by these 15 graduates is characterised by their relationship to their unique surroundings, including Hayley Anderson’s immersive retellings of Scottish mythology through drawing, and Molly Shearer’s incorporation of traditional textile techniques.
Orkney College: Open daily Saturday 10 – Saturday 17 June (closed Sunday)
Moray School of Art: Open daily Monday 12 – Saturday 17 June
UHI Shetland: Saturday 10 – Friday 23rd June (closed Sundays)
Follow SCAN on Twitter and Instagram for more dispatches from 2023 Degree Shows as they happen and sign up to our Circular bulletin for regular news on exhibitions in Scotland.