(Image: Charlotte Cullen)
An acclaimed contemporary art exhibition representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale is set to return to the UK, with its first stop at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in 2027.
Shame Parade, created by Glasgow-based artist duo Bugarin + Castle, will run at Mount Stuart from April 17 to October 2027 before touring venues across the UK and Europe.
Bugarin + Castle and Dr Morven Gregor on the occasion of Shame Parade opening at Scotland + Venice during the 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. (Image: Dimitri D’Ippolito.)
The exhibition is Scotland’s contribution to the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia and forms part of the Scotland + Venice partnership, which promotes contemporary Scottish art internationally. It is curated by the Mount Stuart Trust.
The exhibition explores shame, pride and celebration through the format of a parade, drawing on queer histories, Scottish archives and Filipino cultural heritage.
It features a 20-minute film and two sculptural installations, examining how sound and costume can be used both to control and to liberate.
The work has attracted more than 20,000 visitors in Venice, where it will remain on display until November 22, 2026.
Mount Stuart will also host a programme of related events and workshops throughout spring and summer 2027.
Bugarin + Castle, Submit to Sound, part of the exhibition Shame Parade curated by Mount Stuart Trust for Scotland + Venice at La Biennale di Venezia in 2026. Film curated by Mount Stuart and produced by Forma. (Image: Dimitri D’Ippolito.)
Following its Isle of Bute run, Shame Parade will travel to Kunsthall Trondheim in Norway in October 2027. The UK tour will then continue at Newcastle Contemporary Art from January to March 2028 and Inverness Museum and Art Gallery from April to May 2028.
The Scotland + Venice partnership is supported by Creative Scotland, British Council Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland, Architecture and Design Scotland, V&A Dundee and the Scottish Government.
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Emma Nicolson, head of creative arts at Creative Scotland, said: "This touring model means audiences across the country and beyond can experience Scotland's contribution to the world's most prestigious visual arts festival for themselves."
Bugarin + Castle said: "In Shame Parade, we have been investigating what we call ‘auditory zones of shame’, questioning how spaces are controlled through sound and costume, drawing on Scottish, Filipino and trans perspectives.
"With these spatial dynamics central to our practice, we are excited to see how the work continues to evolve as it encounters new spaces and audiences in galleries across Scotland, the wider UK and Norway.
"Returning to Mount Stuart is particularly significant.
"We are immensely grateful for their generosity and belief in our work every step of the way, and for encouraging us to think with curiosity and inquietude.
"Our sculptural and video works will coexist within the spaces at Mount Stuart where we filmed, from the gleaming ceilings to the darkness beneath its trapdoors.
"We hope the work invites audiences to question who set the measurements of the spaces they inherit, and to imagine how they might redraw the plans laid out for them."
Dr Morven Gregor, curator of contemporary and learning at Mount Stuart Trust, said: "In Venice, Shame Parade has touched and enthused diverse audiences.
"We look forward to sharing the exhibition, its energy and insights, with local, national and international visitors and offering a related programme of events and workshops throughout spring and summer."