EDINBURGH.- The Scottish Gallery presents The Northern Isles, an exhibition exploring the artistic legacy and living creative culture of Orkney and Shetland. Bringing together more than thirty artists connected to the archipelagos, by birth, by home, by residency, or by artistic pilgrimage, this wide-ranging exhibition showcases painting, printmaking, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, and furniture inspired by two of Scotland’s most elemental landscapes.

The Northern Isles have long exerted a magnetic pull for artists seeking an encounter with raw geography, shifting weather and transformative light. Orkney’s calm luminosity and Shetland’s dramatic volatility provide a compelling duality that has shaped generations of makers. This exhibition examines those contrasts and connections through contemporary work created especially for the show, alongside selected pieces by significant historical figures whose practices were rooted deeply in the islands.

Director of The Scottish Gallery, Christina Jansen says: “The Northern Isles brings together artists whose lives and practices have been influenced by, or are rooted in, the unique archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. Their work reflects the reality of living in these island communities: the wide horizons, the raw, elemental weather and the close relationship between people and place. Each artist responds to the landscape in their own way, offering a clear and honest view of what it means to live and work at the northern edge.”

Highlights of the exhibition include paintings by Ruth Brownlee, Victoria Crowe, Kate Downie, and Laura Drever; atmospheric photographic and experimental print works by Ingrid Budge; evocative furniture by Kevin Gauld, the Orkney Furniture Maker; distinctive silver by Rod Kelly; sculptural ceramics by Patricia Shone; and intricate jewellery by Grace Girvan.

The exhibition also pays tribute to artists whose vision shaped our contemporary understanding of the northern landscape - including the late Sylvia Wishart, Bet Low, and Frances Walker, acknowledging their lasting influence on the generations that followed.

Across all media, a shared vocabulary emerges: the pull of the tide, the weight of weather, the clarity of northern light, and a deep-rooted sense of belonging. The Northern Isles stands as testament to places that resist noise and reward attention.

The Northern Isles invites audiences to experience Orkney and Shetland anew; as sites of artistic dialogue, cultural resilience, and an enduring creative energy.