Next Level Nature

There is an abundance of nature inspired art and design on display across Scotland this summer, from installations and textiles to photomontage and video games. Offering the perfect opportunity to delve into all things bold, botanical and boundary-breaking, four world-class shows are the ideal additions to your summer plans.  

Starting with our major exhibition of 2025, Garden Futures: Designing with Nature features the work of prominent names across the world of art and design, each sharing their unique perspectives on plants, flowers and green spaces around us.

Featuring sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, tile and wallpaper designs by William Morris and vibrant garden designs by Piet Oudolf, you are invited to see the world of gardens through unique interpretations by these artists and designers.

Andy Goldsworthy, Hedge crawl. Dawn. Frost. Cold hands. Sinderby, England. 4 March 2014, 2014, video still. Courtesy of the Artist

At the National Galleries Scotland this summer, the largest ever indoor exhibition by Andy Goldsworthy will take place. Featuring over 200 works, the show will include new works, as well as archival items spanning fifty years. Throughout his career, Andy Goldsworthy has created a unique and highly influential body of work that speaks of our relationship with the land. In Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years the land is brought indoors and only to be seen in Edinburgh.

Linder: Danger Came Smiling. Photography by Ross Fraser McLean

Linder’s bold and subversive vision takes root at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in her first Scottish retrospective, Danger Came Smiling. Showcasing 50 years of trailblazing artwork, it dives into her fascination with plants and invites us to see beyond traditional ideas about gender and sexuality. Deliciously satirical, her photomontages remix images from popular culture, ranging from early pin-up photography to house plants.

At Jupiter Artland, WORK BEGAT WORK is a celebration of Ian Hamilton Finlay and Andy Goldsworthy, coinciding with Hamilton Finlay’s centenary and the opening of the Goldsworthy exhibition at National Galleries Scotland. Ian Hamilton Finlay also features in Garden Futures, with a milestone from Little Sparta, on display alongside various printed works.

Jonathan Baldock, Warm Inside, 2021. Courtesy of Accelerator, Stockholm. Photography by Ruth Clark

Also at Jupiter Artland, WYRD is a brand new commission by Jonathan Baldock, transforming Jupiter’s stunning Ballroom Gallery into a zoo of hybrid animals formed from textile and clay. Finally, Warm Inside is an evocative installation of twelve hanging sculptures commissioned by Accelerator, Stockholm, in 2021. This group of life-sized cocoons house and protect bodies on the brink of metamorphosis. Hand-spun wool, plant-dyed fibres and intricately woven baskets comprise the works, with ceramic hands, feet and masks within.

Each of these exhibitions promise an inspiring journey into the world of art shaped by nature. Don’t miss the chance to experience this season of next level nature!