EMBASSY proudly supports the PACBI pledge. Until Palestine is free we will not work with, accept funding from or spend money with any organisations with ties to Israeli institutions.
See @artworkersforpalestinescotland@bdsnationalcommittee for more information.
THERE IS NOTHING UNUSUAL HERE: Foraging Consciousness, 31st May 14:00-15:30, in-person.
Join designer Maddie Lennon and writer Xuanlin Tham for the first in a series of three writing workshops. THERE’S NOTHING UNUSUAL HERE invites participants to write and walk as a practice of attentiveness to the city: its textures, symbols, and possibilities both alien and mundane.
Stepping into deep and playful modes of attention to our surroundings, we will go on a group walk in the area around EMBASSY while responding to a series of writing exercises. This first walk, ‘Foraging Consciousness’, will pay particular attention to street signage, littered or abandoned objects, and walking as stream of consciousness.
At the end of the series, participants will be invited to develop a piece from the workshops to feature in a publication. Tickets are pay what you can(link on our website), and all proceeds will go to the Ziyad family in Gaza.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH Thursday 14th May 6-7PM
Neighbourhood Watch is an event for screening moving image work at EMBASSY.
We offer a space for discussion around any image that moves - video art, youtube clips, film trailers, animations, archival footage, documentaries, music videos or adverts - any quality of video or work in progress is warmly welcomed.
You can bring your own films, or if you don’t make moving image work, simply something you’re interested in and want to discuss in a communal space. If just you want to watch and simply bring opinions that is also very much appreciated.
If you’re showing your own work, we invite you to share up to 10 minutes, and if you want feedback just let us know what kind you’d like. This is a space for all types-from casual chats to critical engagement - whatever suits you.
A digital projector, computer, and speakers will be available.
If you are interested in joining, please send a quick email to [email protected] with the subject ‘Neighbourhood Watch’. You’re welcome to share links in advance or bring a USB on the day.
Francis Dosoo (b. 1986, Edinburgh) is an artist using moving images, photography, text and sound to explore non-systematic ways of describing experience. Having performed as a DJ for over 10 years, Francis’ practice is founded on an intertextual approach which considers words, sounds and images as fundamentally detached from time and place. His most recent exhibition, ‘Portrait of Dorothy Gale’, will be on show at Dundee Contemporary Arts from 16th May until 2nd August.
For this iteration of Embassy’s Lecture Series Francis will be sharing the research behind this new work - around film, religious mysticism and what he calls ‘perception-thought’.
The lecture will take place at Embassy Gallery, 7 Ferry Road, EH6 4AD on Sunday 17th of May. Access information is available on our website.
No More Painting: a reading group, Wednesday 6 May, 18:30-20:30, in-person. No More Painting is a reading group focusing on debates in contemporary painting and the discourses that have probed and problematised the medium over the last 50 years. The selected texts will investigate painting’s place within the political and economic spheres, as well as the role that painting has historically played in the construction and policing of national identity. No background knowledge in the history or theory of painting is required. It would be particularly valuable to hear from practicing painters as well as those interested in looking at and talking about painting. These sessions take place in-person at EMBASSY Gallery, 7 Ferry Road, EH6 4AD. In the sixth session, taking place on Wednesday 6th May, 18:30-20:30, we will be looking at two texts: ‘On Color’ (2016), a talk on the material and economic properties of paint by the American artist Amy Sillman, and ‘Shadow Cabinet’ (2019), an aphoristic essay by critic and novelist Teju Cole inspired by the work of Kerry James Marshall. Sillman’s associative and anecdotal text examines her relationship to colour with a particular focus on value and material processes, drawing out the differences between the experience of making and viewing paintings. Cole also looks at colour’s relationship to value through wide ranging reflections on the colour black, taking into account the history of slavery, the origins of photography, manufacturing processes, mythology, and much more. Both essays offer insights into what goes into a painting before a brush has touched the canvas.
If you are interested in joining, please send a quick email to [email protected] with the subject ‘No More Painting’. The name of the reading group is borrowed from Duchamp’s injunction to himself in 1913, the year he completed his first readymades: ‘Marcel, no more painting; go get a job’. Image: painting included in a window display at Søstrene Grene, Waverley Mall, 2026.
‘Call it a day’ is a group exhibition with works by Sophie Hall, Jim Brook and Alex of Folly Problem. The exhibition explores time, authorship, labour and our relationship to work. Through astral projection, the aisles of B&Q, and tribute acts, ‘Call it a day’ is a sigh of both satisfaction and discontent.
Opening: 17th April 18:00-20:00
Runs: 18th April - 10th May
Thurs 16:00-19:00
Fri-Sun 12:0-17:00
Embassy, 7 Ferry Road, EH6 4AD.
Operational Committee Member Info Session ~ Tuesday 7 April ~ 18:30-19:30 ~ 7 Ferry Road, EH6 4AD
EMBASSY Gallery is currently looking for two new Operational Committee Members to join the organisation in May/June. On Tuesday 7th April, 18:30-19:30, EMBASSY Gallery will be hosting an information session where you can learn more about the Operational Committee Member role. The outgoing committee members will talk about their experiences at EMBASSY and will be on hand to answer any questions about the organisation and the position. The info session will also give applicants a chance to spend more time in the space.
Attendance at the event will have no bearing on the application process, and we will upload any presentation slides to our website after the event, as well as a summary of the information shared during the Q&A. If you have any questions, please do get in contact via email. The info session will take place at EMBASSY’s space at 7 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, EH6 4AD.
See our previous post for more information about the Operational Committee Member position, or go to our website for a full job description and a link to the application form. The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 19th April.
EMBASSY is currently seeking two new Operational Committee Members to join the organisation in May/June! The deadline to apply is 23:59 on Sunday 19th April. The application form and a detailed job description can be found at the link in our bio.
A position on EMBASSY’s Operational Committee is a unique opportunity, allowing you to develop a programme of exhibitions and events while learning about all aspects of running a visual arts organisation through practical experience. EMBASSY has been operating as an artist-run space for over two decades, yet it is constantly shifting in response to those who make up the committee.
EMBASSY’s Operational Committee is responsible for the day-to-day running of the space. This involves programming and installing exhibitions, organising events, liaising with artists, facilitating Community Takeovers and members’ opportunities, writing funding applications, managing the organisation’s finances, updating policies, maintaining the space and equipment, reporting to funders and the Board of Trustees, monitoring communications and ultimately deciding on the direction of the organisation within its aims.
Operational Committee Members are paid £15.20 per hour for 15 hours of work per week, although additional in-kind hours are sometimes required. The position of Operational Committee Member is one of high responsibility and commitment and there may be times where you are expected to work beyond your paid hours in response to external deadlines, emergency situations or event openings. We try to avoid this as much as possible, yet we are unable to avoid it completely. If you have any questions about this, feel free to send us an email.
Eligibility:
* Candidates must live in Edinburgh or the wider Lothian region.
* Students, including postgraduate and PhD students, are not eligible. However, your application will be considered if you are completing your studies in June 2026.
* Please only apply if you are planning on staying in the role for the full 2 year tenure.
* Candidates must be able to attend EMBASSY’s weekly co-working day on Tuesdays, 10:00-17:00.
We look forward to reading your applications!
Members’ Crit ~ 02.04.2026 ~ 18:30-20:30 ~ 7 Ferry Road, EH6 4AD
Looking for advice on a project? Recently finished a piece and keen to hear what others think? On Thursday 2nd April, 18:30-20:30, EMBASSY will be hosting the third in a series of monthly Members’ Crits. These events give EMBASSY members a chance to share artworks, completed or in progress, with other artists and gather responses and constructive feedback. There are 5 spaces to present each session, and the presenting artists can decide on the kind of feedback they would find useful. You can read more about the Members’ Crits and reserve a space at January’s session by following the link in our bio.
Members’ Crits are only open to EMBASSY Members! You can become a member for as little as £2 a year by looking for the Membership section on our website. Make sure your subscription is active before reserving a space (if you are unsure, do get in touch to confirm). Members are an essential part of EMBASSY’s mission to cultivate emerging contemporary art in Edinburgh and by signing up you will be supporting us to continue our programme. Becoming a member is a great way to meet other artists and art workers in Edinburgh, and you’ll be eligible for a range of perks listed on our website.
This event is in person and takes place in our space at 7 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, EH6 4AD. If you have a space reserved but can no longer attend, please get in touch with us and cancel your booking so that we can offer your space to someone else.
No More Painting: a reading group, Wednesday 1 April, 18:30-20:30, in-person. No More Painting is a reading group focusing on debates in contemporary painting and the discourses that have probed and problematised the medium over the last 50 years. The selected texts will investigate painting’s place within the political and economic spheres, as well as the role that painting has historically played in the construction and policing of national identity. No background knowledge in the history or theory of painting is required. It would be particularly valuable to hear from practicing painters as well as those interested in looking at and talking about painting. These sessions take place in-person at EMBASSY Gallery, 7 Ferry Road, EH6 4AD. In the fifth session, taking place on Wednesday 1st April, 18:30-20:30, we will be looking at two texts: the opening to Ben Lerner’s novel ‘Leaving the Atocha Station’ (2011) and Andrea Fraser’s talk ‘Why Does Fred Sandback’s Work Make Me Cry?’ (2004). Disconcerted by a man’s unrestrained response to a number of paintings in Madrid’s Museo del Prado, the narrator of Lerner’s book begins to question his capacity for profound experiences of culture. Fraser’s text, while nominally concerned with minimalist sculptor Fred Sandbank, questions why some artworks might make one weep, and recounts her own experiences in front of works by Rembrandt and Barnett Newman. We’ll look at the way paintings as objects play key roles in both of these texts.
If you are interested in joining, please send a quick email to [email protected] with the subject ‘No More Painting’. The name of the reading group is borrowed from Duchamp’s injunction to himself in 1913, the year he completed his first readymades: ‘Marcel, no more painting; go get a job’. Image: detail from a portrait of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, shown holding the plans for the Glasgow School of Art, by Francis Henry Newbury, 1914, National Galleries of Scotland.
