Major new performance and exhibition by internationally celebrated artist Linder
Seminal feminist artist Linder will present a major new performance work in two parts this Summer. The work is the first of its kind to ever come to Scotland and taking place across two iconic locations, first presented at Mount Stuart with an exhibition, then opening EAF25 to coincide with Linder: Danger Came Smiling touring to Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Linder at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh for EAF and Mount Stuart. Photo: Charlotte Cullen. Stylist: Rebecca Palmer. Make-up: Kala Williams. Courtesy the artist and EAF.
Co-commissioned by EAF (Edinburgh Art Festival) and Mount Stuart Trust, A kind of glamour about me is a new performance by Linder in collaboration with choreographer Holly Blakey, composer Maxwell Sterling and fashion designer Ashish Gupta. For Linder, the title epitomises the transcendent power of the creative arts in a person’s identity and social mobility.
A kind of glamour about me points towards Walter Scott's account of glamour, one of the first ever references recorded:
“August 12. -- Wrote a little in the morning; then Duty and I have settled that this is to be a kind of holiday, providing the volume be finished to-morrow. I went to breakfast at Chiefswood, and after that affair was happily transacted, I wended me merrily to the Black Cock Stripe, and there caused Tom Purdie and John Swanston cut out a quantity of firs. Got home about two o'clock, and set to correct a set of proofs. James Ballantyne presages well of this work, but is afraid of inaccuracies -- so am I -- but things must be as they may. There is a kind of glamour about me, which sometimes makes me read dates, etc., in the proof-sheets, not as they actually do stand, but as they ought to stand. I wonder if a pill of holy trefoil would dispel this fascination”
The performance debuts at Mount Stuart on 14 June, alongside an exhibition running until 31 August 2025. 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’ - costumes, props, works on paper, photography, and writings - that will 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 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 in a continuous act of assembly and disassembly by the performers choreographed by Holly Blakey.
After Mount Stuart, A kind of glamour about me will travel to the mystical Oak Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh (7 August) to open EAF25. The work will weave together imagery from the stained glass windows, anthropomorphic furniture on Bute, references to Linder’s own archive of imagery and the enticing presence of nature situated across both sites.
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, opening on 23 May and continuing across the summer until 19 October. 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 acquire A kind of glamour about me, for their collection, with support from Art Fund, opening dialogue on the collection and archiving of live performance. 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.
“From the intricate and mythical, decorative imagery of Mount Stuart to the vast Oak Lawn at the Botanical Gardens; I look forward to seeking inspiration from each location and weaving together a textural journey of performance, sound, and textile. The title ‘A Kind of Glamour about me’ refers to Walter Scott and his early reference to glamour as something magical and spell-like. I am fascinated with the idea of Glamour being 'a symptom' and look forward to teasing this out with my collaborators as we lead up to the performances. I can’t wait to bring this performance to life alongside my first solo institutional exhibition at Inverleith House also at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh this summer.” - Linder
Linder at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh for EAF and Mount Stuart. Photo: Charlotte Cullen. Outfit: Ashish. Stylist: Rebecca Palmer. Make-up: Kala Williams. Courtesy the artist and EAF.
“We are delighted to be presenting Linder’s new performance in June at Mount Stuart, and acquiring this contemporary work for our collection, enabling us to introduce this work to future audiences and to join the conversation on collected performance work as a tool for broadening discussion on contemporary performance in the context of our historic house and locality.” - Sophie Crichton-Stuart, Chair, Mount Stuart Trust
“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” - Kim McAleese, Director, EAF
“The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is thrilled to welcome visitors to Danger Came Smiling in our historic Inverleith House this summer, where this dynamic exhibition will be further activated by Linder’s A kind of glamour about me, commissioned by our partners at EAF and Mount Stuart to take place on the Oak Lawn.” - Amy Porteous, Producer, RBGE
“Linder’s new performance work will offer a memorable opportunity to experience contemporary art within the striking historic setting of Mount Stuart and Inverleith House and gardens. This exciting commission marks the first time one of Linder’s performance works will enter a UK collection. I’m delighted the Art Fund is able to support this commission and acquisition, ensuring the work continues to inspire, provoke and spark conversation for years to come.” – Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund
Mount Stuart’s Contemporary Visual Arts Programme is supported by Creative Scotland's multi-year funding which enables us to continue working with Scottish and international artists, bringing exhibitions, performances, and educational activities to Argyll & Bute.