Bugarin + Castle

For the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026, Bugarin + Castle are to represent Scotland, curated by Mount Stuart Trust and commissioned by Scotland + Venice. The work will be shown from Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026.

Bugarin + Castle will draw on queer histories, Scottish archives and Filipino cultural heritage, examining how sound and costume shape social control. The artists’ interdisciplinary art practice traverses cabaret performance and architectural methodologies, driven by queer and decolonial research.

”The Newcastle Fine Art Department is home to a vibrant community of artists, curators, and art historians among both students and staff,” said Angel. “Since joining the department, I have really valued their support and encouragement as I have developed and prepared for this opportunity in Venice. I also look forward to sharing my research and experiences on my return."

Angel is the second person from the University’s respected Fine Art Department to represent Scotland at La Biennale di Venezia. NUACT Fellow Rachel Maclean represented Scotland at the 57th International Art Exhibition, the Venice Biennale, which ran from 13 May to 26 November 2017, with the major film commission Spite Your Face. Curated by Alchemy Film and Arts, in partnership with Talbot Rice Gallery and the University of Edinburgh, Maclean’s modern-day, dark Venetian fairytale was presented as a large-scale portrait projection at the altar of the deconsecrated church, Chiesa di Santa Caterina, Cannaregio. This year, Owen Hopkins, Director of the University’s Farrell Centre, was part of the UK’s curatorial team for 19th International Architecture Exhibition at the biennale. TThe exhibition GBR – Geology of Britannic Repair, was a collaboration between a multi-disciplinary team of curators which  focused on the Rift Valley, a geological formation that runs from southeastern Africa through Mozambique, Kenya and Ethiopia, along the Red Sea, through Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Lebanon to southern Turkey.

Interdisciplinary

Mount Stuart Trust, based on the Isle of Bute, will curate Burgarin + Castle’s project, working with the artists and a series of partners. They have presented a renowned Contemporary Visual Arts Programme since 2001 with artists including Alberta Whittle, Abbas Akhavan, Linder, Martin Boyce, Thomas Abercromby, and Ilana Halperin. The Venice exhibition will return for an exhibition at Mount Stuart on Bute in Summer 2027, before further presentations in Scotland to be announced. Dunoon Burgh Hall and BUZZCUT also form part of the project network, reflective of the interdisciplinary work of the artists and Scottish cultural sector. Forma, an arts charity working across the UK and internationally, will provide production support for the film element, building on their previous Scotland + Venice experience working with Alberta Whittle in 2022. Further roles and touring information will be announced soon as well as the venue for the project in Venice.

The project was chosen to represent Scotland by a panel including Sepake Angiama, Director, Iniva, Norah Campbell, Head of Arts Scotland, British Council, Simon Groom, Director, International & National Partnerships, National Galleries of Scotland, Emma Nicolson, Head of Visual Arts, Creative Scotland and Lucia Pietroiusti, Head of Ecologies, Serpentine.

Bugarin + Castle’s recent interactive film Sore Throat, shot in Edinburgh and Manila, explored colonial monsters and sound in queer Filipino spaces, showing in a solo exhibition at Fruitmarket as well as at Tate Modern and international venues. Via custom software, gallery audience voices were unknowingly recorded and replayed within the film, implicating them as antagonists in its narrative. Bugarin + Castle also perform in drag as Hairy Teddy Bear and Pollyfilla, through Pollyanna, a Scottish queer arts company founded by Castle, now in its 10th year.

The artists’ work has been exhibited at leading UK institutions including Tate Modern, ICA: Institute of Contemporary Art, Fruitmarket and City Art Centre. Internationally, their work has been shown at Microscope Gallery (USA) and Krittinen Gallery (Finland), and will be in upcoming exhibitions at Tromsø Centre for Contemporary Art (Norway), Photographic Centre Peri (Finland), and WHYNoT Space(Philippines). Individually, they have a wide international practice.

Angel Cohn Castle’s work has been commissioned by BBC Scotland, LUX Scotland and Talbot Rice Gallery, and exhibited at galleries including Kunstmuseum Bonn (Germany) and BALTIC (UK). As founder of Pollyanna, she has produced exhibitions at Royal Scottish Academy, Stirling Castle and international galleries. She is currently Lecturer in Fine Art at Newcastle University, and was previously Teaching Fellow in Fine Art at The University of Edinburgh.

Davide Bugarin’s work has been featured at the Malta Biennale (2024) and the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025. He has also participated in a residency at Venice Biennale of Architecture 2023, selected by the Biennale curator. He was part of the New Architecture Writers programme, contributing to The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal. He has received awards and scholarships from Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Worshipful Company of Architects and Burberry. Bugarin recently completed a research fellowship at The Warburg Institute, who have supported the initial research for this Scotland + Venice project.

Rich and diverse

Alastair Evans, Chair, Scotland + Venice Partnership, said “Scotland + Venice 2026 presents a timely opportunity to showcase the diversity, innovation and internationalism of contemporary Scottish art. This presentation reflects the depth of collaboration, critical engagement and inclusive practice that defines the Programme’s future direction”

Morven Gregor, Curator, Mount Stuart Trust and Sophie Crichton Stuart, Chair of Mount Stuart Trust, who founded the Mount Stuart contemporary visual arts programme in 2001, said, “We are excited to curate the work of Bugarin + Castle, extending our shared commitment through the opportunities presented by Scotland + Venice to bring this ambitious work of performance and moving image to life and to reach our audiences on the West Coast of Scotland and internationally. We look forward to celebrating the return of Scotland to Venice with our communities across Scotland and beyond, and, as ever, recognise the positive impact of working in collaboration with key partners in the cultural sector. In 2026 Mount Stuart Trust’s Contemporary Visual Arts Programme celebrates 25 years, and we are delighted that part of this special year will be working with Angel Cohn Castle and Davide Bugarin on Scotland + Venice.”

Emma Nicolson, Head of Visual Arts, Creative Scotland, said, “We are thrilled to support Mount Stuart Trust and Bugarin + Castle as they lead Scotland’s return to Venice with a commission that speaks powerfully to the rich and diverse contemporary art practice that we have in Scotland. This project is bold, visually compelling and emotionally layered and stands as a testament to the varied and ambitious artistic voices in Scotland, rooted in place, conceptually bold, and internationally relevant. We are excited to see how this work will evolve in Venice and ripple back across communities and venues throughout Scotland and beyond.”

Norah Campbell, Head of Arts, British Council Scotland, "The British Council is proud to support Scotland + Venice as it returns to the world stage in 2026. Angel Cohn Castle and

Davide Bugarin's collaborative project exemplifies how Scottish creativity can spark meaningful global dialogue. Venice offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate how Scotland's artists are addressing the challenges of our interconnected world, and helping to strengthen the cultural ties that bring nations together."

Sepake Angiama Artistic Director, Iniva, and selection panel member said, “The jury were impressed by the range of artistic and curatorial vision of the applications made - it made our conversations lively, with so many brilliant and ambitious ideas from artists across Scotland on the table. However, this proposal was chosen as it not only challenges what it means to represent Scotland in Venice but also recognises the wide and varied work Scottish institutions and artists produce that can speak to international audiences. Venice is an incredible occasion to present dynamic practice to the world and I am excited to see the final project in 2026.”

Lucia Pietroiusti, Head of Ecologies, Serpentine and selection panel member said, “A presentation at Venice by a country is a meeting point of local and international. It brings situated practices rooted in their environment in dialogue with the wider existential, philosophical, cultural and social questions of our time. The quality of all proposals was extremely high, and demonstrated the excellence of artistic practice in Scotland. The range of different visions for this year was also impressive, as were the proposals’ engagement with the most important issues of today. The successful proposal was selected for the artist’s vision, their energetic approach, their collaborative nature and for the way in which it connects the realities of Scotland and the wider world”

Veronique AA Lapeyre, Director, Scottish Contemporary Art Network, said, “The return of Scotland + Venice in 2026 marks a renewed celebration and investment in Scottish contemporary art. SCAN is delighted to see that this important partnership recognises, and further amplifies, the internationally renowned work of Scotland’s artists and organisations that inspires people at home and abroad. It’s vital that as a country we continue to nurture international partnerships and build an artistic community united around global social concerns and cultural production.”

Press release adapted with thanks to Scotland + Venice