Glasgow International returns with its 11th festival of contemporary art

Every two years, Glasgow International turns the city into a showcase for contemporary art, and its 11th edition ran from Friday 5 to Sunday 21 June 2026. Over 18 days, the festival celebrated Glasgow's identity as a distinctive centre for artistic production, cultural organising and experiencing contemporary art.

Free, accessible and open to all, the 2026 festival included exhibitions and projects, performances and discussion events at more than 20 spaces across the city, featuring work by more than 50 artists. It brought together newly commissioned projects from established art organisations and museums, artist-run spaces, independent curators and individual artists.

This edition was developed with a spirit of collectivity and collaboration by the festival's curatorial team and its new director, Helen Nisbet. Under her direction, Glasgow International continued as a place for artistic experimentation, critical discussion and gathering, rooted in the city's year-round visual art scene.

The list of participants included Andrew Cranston, Luke Fowler, Victoria Morton, Jamie Crewe, Mandy McIntosh and Katy Dove, alongside names such as Lygia Clark, Naeem Mohaiemen, Joanna Piotrowska and Tanoa Sasraku. The children and young people of Rumpus Room were also among the participants.

The festival describes itself as amplifying the city's identity as a centre for artistic production and presentation, and as a place with deep connections to international cultural and social concerns. Alongside the exhibitions, a Gatherings programme offered events and conversations throughout the run.

Helen Nisbet said it had been a pleasure to step into the role, describing the 2026 festival as a labour of love and Glasgow International as a critical site for discourse and kinship in the city, with the chance to platform Glasgow's artist-led work alongside projects with international artists. Creative Scotland, which supports the festival, called it a vital moment in Scotland's visual arts calendar.

The festival's online archive covers past editions from 2010 to 2024, a record of how the city's art scene has grown and changed over the years.

For visitors, the festival is a chance to explore parts of the city they might not otherwise visit, from major institutions to small artist-run spaces, and to see what Glasgow's artists are making right now.

Information about Glasgow International, including access details and the festival archive, is available at glasgowinternational.org.