Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle — collateral exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale

Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle — collateral exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale

Scotland + Venice presents a new project by Bugarin + Castle, combining sculpture, moving-image works and performative interventions to rethink historical practices of public shaming in contemporary terms.

Overview

The duo’s practice links references from Scottish castles to cultural practices in the Philippines, creating layered installations where history, sound and popular imagery converge. Rather than a single narrative scene, the exhibition unfolds like a carnivalesque procession, mixing provocation, tenderness and playful critique.

Key works

• At Certayne Tymes — sculptures merging mechanical, anatomical and vocal elements;
• Submit to Sound — a moving-image work layering voice feminization exercises with musical collaborations from Manila;
• Nocturnal Amusement — a sculptural intervention that moves through gallery spaces and questions spectatorship and shame.

Themes and approach

The exhibition takes historical customs such as charivari and public humiliation parades and recodes them into a contemporary language centring queer and trans lives, diasporic ties and struggles over power. The artists map shame and transformation across continents and time without prescribing moral answers.

Production and future itinerary

Curated by the Mount Stuart Trust under the direction of Dr Morven Gregor, with the film component produced by Forma. After Venice, the project is scheduled to be shown at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in summer 2027 and will tour venues across Scotland.

Why visit

Bugarin + Castle combine formal rigour with political urgency, offering visitors a layered encounter that connects historical imagery, performative practice and reconfigured soundscapes. The show is recommended for audiences interested in contemporary treatments of identity, ritual and transnational cultural networks.