Forma

Forma returns to the Venice Biennale. We are delighted to announce that Forma has joined the creative team for Bugarin + Castle’s presentation with Scotland + Venice at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Mount Stuart Trust and led by Dr Morven Gregor, ‘Shame Parade’ will see the artists realise their most significant body of work to date in an ambitious exhibition that unfolds in a carnival-like procession of subversion and defiance, exploring overlapping geographies and time periods through a contemporary queer and trans reimagining of public shaming rituals. ‘Shame Parade’ exemplifies Forma’s longstanding support of projects that are both career-defining and push the boundaries of artistic practice. Drawing on our expertise as commissioners, Forma joined the artists and curators at Mount Stuart Trust during the selection process and has since continued working closely with them on their journey to Venice, acting as producer of ‘Submit to Sound’ — a new moving-image work at the heart of the exhibition — and contributing funds towards its realisation. We are so proud to return to the 2026 Biennale with Scotland + Venice, building on our formative collaboration with Alberta Whittle on ‘Lagareh – The Last Born’ in 2022. This year our role has further expanded to Production Manager of the presentation itself, working in partnership with Mount Stuart Trust and the Scotland + Venice team to realise this complex international project. 📍 Olivolo, Castello 59/C 30122, Venice 📅 9 May – 22 November 2026 📷 Bugarin + Castle, Mr. Mimic [Submit to Sound], 2026 (detail) Courtesy the Artists and Scotland + Venice © Bugarin + Castle

Between Here and Elsewhere Amaal Said Forma, 15 Bermondsey Square 26 February - 7 June 2026 Forma is delighted to announce the launch of its next exhibition at Forma, 15 Bermondsey Square: ‘Between Here and Elsewhere’ by Amaal Said. Opening 26 February 2026, 7-8pm at the gallery followed by refreshments at FormaHQ. RSVP 🔗 in bio Grounded in Said’s lived experience, the exhibition reflects on complex questions around identity and belonging - exploring a sense of dissonance and dislocation felt by first and second generation migrants living in Britain. It brings together Said’s recently commissioned film - ‘Open Country’ (2025) - in dialogue with a new photographic installation that unfolds across the length of Forma’s window gallery. In the film, the artist asks what it means to yearn for a connection to a place and to others, whilst exposing the vulnerability that can arise through difference and prejudice. The recurring images on the gallery walls depict the characters caught in moments of reflection, echoing the architecture of the space and relaying a quiet tension in Said’s work. ‘Open Country’ was originally co-commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella, Forma and Three Rivers, as part of a multi-partner project titled ‘The Open Road’. Presenting Said’s moving image work alongside these newly conceived photographic elements in Bermondsey holds particular resonance as, set just beyond the Old Kent Road and near to the artists’ home, the gallery lies on the historical route of pilgrimage from London to Canterbury where the journey of the film begins and ‘The Open Road’ series draws its inspiration. We welcome this moment to celebrate Amaal’s work with friends, family and our neighbours here in Southwark, and invite you all to join us at the opening event on 26 February. RSVP 🔗 in bio Image: Amaal Said, ‘Open Country (I)’, 2025. Digital photograph. © and courtesy the artist. Funded by Arts Council England. Supported by Film and Video Umbrella, Forma and Three Rivers.

Jala Wahid’s new sculpture ‘Slow Crush’ is now on view in Forma’s Peveril Gardens until July 2026. The sculpture depicts the ‘Hasanlu Lovers’, two ancient male skeletons unearthed in 1973 in Hasanlu — now considered part of Western Iran, but situated in Eastern Kurdistan. Through ‘Slow Crush’ Wahid confronts the colonial violence of archaeological practice — reimagining the pair beyond the ‘evidence rooms’ of museums built by theft, offering form and voice to identities long erased. Speaking on the project, Jala says: “Slow Crush allowed me to think on the oscillatory nature of political occupation throughout time and enduring love as a subversion against this. The material fragility of the lovers yet their indelible final act became a way to explore different timescales: the finality of a violent moment, a radical act laying dormant for thousands of years, the eternality of iconography. Throughout the making of ‘Slow Crush’, I would think about what it meant to revivify this historical moment in the context of contemporary colonial histories the lovers could not foresee.” The project was commissioned and produced by Forma, and generously supported by The Ampersand Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, and Arts Council England. Image: Jala Wahid, Slow Crush, 2025. Peveril Gardens, FormaHQ, London. Commissioned and produced by Forma and supported by The Ampersand Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation and Arts Council England. Courtesy the artist and Forma. Photo: Tim Bowditch. #henrymooregrants #theampersandfoundation #aceagrams #forma #jalawahid #publicsculpture #londongardens

☀️ Highlights from the afternoon preview event for Scotland + Venice, when we came together to celebrate the opening of Shame Parade, Bugarin + Castle’s exhibition curated by Mount Stuart to represent Scotland at La Biennale di Venezia. Amongst the speeches were Artists, Bugarin + Castle; Mount Stuart Curator, Dr Morven Gregor; Head of Visual Arts at Creative Scotland, Emma Nicolson and Chair of the Creative Scotland Board, Robert Wilson who said: “Ask what’s happened when those who were shamed pick up those instruments and transform them into drag, into song, into solidarity”. Shame Parade is now open to the public in Venice at Olivolo, visit to explore a multi-layered exhibition that uses the concept of the parade as a lens to explore complex emotional legacies of shame, sound and voice. 📣 Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle curated by Mount Stuart 📍 Olivolo, Castello 65A 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 ⏰ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 6pm. 🎥 @ryanscottmedia #BiennaleArte2026 #InMinorKeys #AreYouDiscreet

Scotland + Venice is now open to the public 📣 Visit us at Olivolo, where Bugarin + Castle’s multi-layered exhibition ‘Shame Parade’, curated by Mount Stuart, will represent Scotland throughout La Biennale di Venezia in 2026. Open Tuesday - Sunday from 10am - 6pm until 22 November 2026. Shame Parade reimagines centuries-old European shaming rituals, known as rough music, charivari and scampanate, where spectacle, sound, and costume were used to discipline social transgressors through multiple artworks. The exhibition includes new film work ‘Submit to Sound’ produced by Forma. 📣 Shame Parade by Bugarin + Castle curated by Mount Stuart 📍 Olivolo, Castello 65A 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 ⏰ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 6pm. 📷 Bugarin + Castle at the launch of Scotland + Venice 2026. Photograph by Karoly Tendl. Image courtesy Forma. #BiennaleArte2026 #InMinorKeys #AreYouDiscreet

📍 We are a short walk from Arsenale, and can also be easily reached by Vaporetto! Follow the chalk on the road and walls from the San Pietro stop, walking past our friends at Catalonia and Iceland, to find Scotland + Venice. Preview today, 3-5pm, all welcome. Location: What three words: ///solids.sensial.amuses Google map: Scotland + Venice, link in bio 📣 Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle curated by Mount Stuart for La Biennale Di Venezia 📍 Olivolo, Castello 65A 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 ⏰ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 6pm. 🎥 @ryanscottmedia #AreYouDiscreet

The Scotland + Venice Preview takes place Thursday 7 May, 3 - 5pm 📣 Join us at Olivolo to be among the first to experience Bugarin + Castle’s Shame Parade, curated by Mount Stuart for the 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. In Shame Parade, the concept of shame is used as a lens to explore complex emotional legacies of shame, sound and voice in a multi-layered exhibition that features new film ‘Submit to Sound’, produced with Forma, and new works across the space; ‘Set Upon’, ‘Soundtrack for a clock and a jeepney’, ‘Nocturnal Amusements’ and ‘At Certayne Tymes’. Location: What three words: ///solids.sensial.amuses Google map: Olivolo 📣 Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle curated by Mount Stuart for La Biennale Di Venezia 📍 Olivolo, Castello 65A 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 ⏰ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 6pm. 🎥 @ryanscottmedia Titles by @tangentgraphic #BiennaleArte2026 #InMinorKeys #AreYouDiscreet

🎺 One week to go! This time next week, Scotland + Venice will be opening the doors of Olivolo during La Biennale di Venezia and inviting you in for Bugarin + Castle’s multi-layered exhibition Shame Parade. Across multiple artworks, Shame Parade reimagines centuries-old European shaming rituals, known as rough music, charivari and scampanate, where spectacle, sound, and costume were used to discipline social transgressors. 📣 Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle curated by Mount Stuart 📍 Olivolo, Castello 65A 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 ⏰ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 6pm. 📷 Courtesy of the Artists #BiennaleArte2026 #InMinorKeys #AreYouDiscreet

As we prepare for a particularly busy week, we’d like to extend our warmest congratulations to the many Forma friends and collaborators who will be presenting works in and around the 61st La Biennale di Venezia. We look forward to visiting a number of these presentations in the days ahead, see details below. Hopefully see you there! - Hylozoic/Desires aka @himalisinghsoin & @davidsointappeser will show ‘We Are Ours’ as part of ‘In Minor Keys’, Arsenale - @hartwigartfoundation (@luciapietroiusti_ ) will present ‘Minor Music at the End of the World’, written by Saidiya Hartman and directed by Sarah Benson on 5 + 6 May at 8.30pm, 7 May at 4pm at Teatro Goldoni Venice - @sungtieu and Henrike Naumann will present ‘Ruin’ at the German Pavilion, Girardini - @lubaina.himid will present ‘Predicting History: Testing Translation’ at the British Pavilion, Girardini - @heartleysophiaalmaria will present a film work in Rirkrit Tiravanija’s tent-like structure at National Pavilion of Qatar, Girardini - @_gery_georgieva will be part of the group show, ‘The Federation of Minor Practices’ at the Bulgarian Pavilion, Sala Tiziano at the Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli. - Curated by @louise_okelly , Eglė Budvytytė will present ‘animism sings anarchy’ at the Lithuanian Pavilion, Fucina del Futuro, Castello 5063/B - Curated by Polly Staple, Lydia Ourahmane will present ‘5 Works’ at Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation - @meriembennani and @taishani will take part in a film exhibition presented by Pier Luigi Nervi Foundation, Palazzo Nervi Scattolin - Following it’s cancellation for the South African Pavilion, ‘Elegy’ by Gabrielle Goliath will be presented by @Ibraaz , Chiesa di Sant’Antonin

ARE YOU DISCREET? Bugarin + Castle’s Shame Parade will soon open at Olivolo, inviting audiences to explore an exhibition that uses the concept of the parade as a lens to explore complex emotional legacies of shame, sound and voice. Bugarin + Castle are the Glasgow-based artists Angel Cohn Castle and Davide Bugarin; their presentation as a Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will be curated by Morven Gregor, Curator of Contemporary and Learning at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute. Across multiple artworks, the exhibition Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle reimagines centuries-old European shaming rituals, known as rough music, charivari and scampanate, where spectacle, sound, and costume were used to discipline social transgressors. Sculptural work At Certayne Tymes fuses mechanical, anatomical, and vocal elements; sculptural intervention Nocturnal Amusements poses the question “Are you Discreet” and moving-image work Submit to Sound, curated by Mount Stuart and produced by Forma, layers voice feminisation exercises and songs made with Manila-based band Kalye Teresa. Shame here is not banished, but stretched to new emotional registers where defiance, play, and intimacy coexist. Bugarin + Castle offer no moral resolution. By mapping shame and transformation across continents and through time, they create a politically charged space where power and identity remain in motion. 📣 Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle curated by Mount Stuart 📍 Olivolo, Castello 59/C 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 ⏰ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 6pm. Film by Nat McGowan | Second Camera: Jen Martin | Titles: Tangent Film © Scotland + Venice 2026 #BiennaleArte2026 #InMinorKeys #AreYouDiscreet

Swipe to see the making of Bugarin + Castle’s upcoming exhibition ‘Shame Parade’ for Scotland + Venice 2026. Unfolding as a carnival-like procession of subversion and defiance, Bugarin + Castle’s multidisciplinary practice explores overlapping geographies and time periods through a contemporary queer and trans reimagining of public shaming rituals. Known as rough music, charivari and scampanate, these centuries-old European customs employed spectacle, sound and costume to discipline social transgressors. The artists transform these traditions into a contemporary language for ‘Shame Parade’, bringing together fourteenth-century court transcripts, satirical eighteenth-century engravings, karaoke ballads, medieval armour and Filipino vehicle art. Through this process, they construct a layered world where historic voices and contemporary culture loop together in scenes that are both defiant and tender. Here, we see images of ‘Nocturnal Amusements’ as a work in progress. One of several elements in the exhibition, the sculpture was handmade by the artists alongside a team of fabricators in Florence and poses the question, “Are you discreet?” — a knowing provocation. 📣 Shame Parade by Bugarin + Castle, curated by Mount Stuart Trust for Scotland + Venice 📍 Olivolo, Castello 59/C, 30122 Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May – Sunday 22 November 2026 📷 Photos courtesy of Bugarin + Castle #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys

Detail of Bugarin + Castle’s new sculpture Nocturnal Amusements, one of the works now installed ahead of the opening of Shame Parade. Created by the artists with fabricators in Florence, Nocturnal Amusements traverses both gallery spaces - a sculptural intervention that poses the question “Are you Discreet”, a knowing provocation. Shame Parade, curated by Mount Stuart Trust for Scotland + Venice, will open to the public on Saturday 9 May in Olivolo as part of La Biennale di Venezia. 📍 Olivolo, Castello 59/C 30122, Venice 📅 Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 🎥 Video courtesy of Bugarin + Castle #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys