Seminal feminist artist Linder will present a major new performance work, A kind of glamour about me, in two parts this Summer. The work is the first of its kind to ever come to Scotland and is taking place across two iconic locations – Mount Stuart on Isle of Bute with an exhibition, then opening EAF25 to coincide with Linder: Danger Came Smiling at Inverleith House in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden.
Co-commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF) and Mount Stuart Trust, A kind of glamour about me has been made in collaboration with choreographer Holly Blakey, composer Maxwell Sterling and fashion designer Ashish Gupta.
Supported by Art Fund and The Ampersand Foundation, the work draws inspiration from Mount Stuart’s architecture and gardens, both rich in mythical and decorative motifs. Linder will create a series of ‘traces’ (ie costumes, props, works on paper, photography and writings) that aim to subtly animate the interiors of the Neo-Gothic mansion.
A new modular tapestry, created by Linder in dialogue with Ashish Gupta’s costumes, will be a central element of the performance. Crafted by the master weavers of West Dean Tapestry Studio in England and infused with the Surrealist history of West Dean College, the tapestry will appear as a physical and performative manifestation of Linder’s distinctive photomontage practice: woven fragments, shaped as body parts and bodily adornments from armour to epaulettes, are worn, wrapped and rearranged by the performers choreographed by Holly Blakey.
Meanwhile, Linder’s major touring retrospective Linder: Danger Came Smiling will be presented within Inverleith House, one of EAF’s partner venues at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. At Inverleith House, Linder’s retrospective, curated by Hayward Gallery Touring in collaboration with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, showcases 50 years of the pioneering feminist artist’s work, dissecting our fascination with the body and its representation. From the early photomontages made while she was part of the punk scene of 1970s Manchester, to new work in digital montage shown for the first time, the exhibition presents the breadth of Linder’s artistic output across montage, photography, performance and sculpture.
Mount Stuart Trust are also delighted to reveal that they will with support from Art Fund, acquire A kind of glamour about me for their collection. This development in Mount Stuart Trust’s commissioning and collecting practice will allow continued presentations of this work within the house beyond the performance in June and will include various items from documentation to props to allow future visitors to experience Linder’s work.
EAF Director Kim McAleese said “EAF25 builds on last year’s ambitious programme of commissions, events and exhibitions bringing people together in solidarity to work towards collective futures. We are thrilled to announce that our 2025 edition will open with new performance work by Linder commissioned with our partners at Mount Stuart and presented within one of our partner galleries at Inverleith House. We are eternally grateful to the support of The Ampersand Foundation and Art Fund for enabling us to make this happen.”
Edinburgh dates: 23rd May to 19th October 2025
Mount Stuart dates: 14th June to 31st August 2025.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 