‘A Class Divide Within ‘Culture’: Palestine and the Scottish Arts’— my piece for the new Variant special issue.
I wrote the Scottish imperialist Patrick Geddes, so beloved by Scottish cultural institutions, who was instrumental in paving the way for the Nakba (not that this is ever addressed), and about how Palestine is inflaming class struggle in the arts in Scotland.
It’s so great that Variant is back, needed now more than ever. Dedicated to former editor Leigh French, who sadly passed away in 2023, It’s an honour to be alongside amazing pieces by comrades and friends—Hannah, Mira, Joey and Shona—as well as other vital pieces of critique and critical reflection, of which there is a dearth at present. So vital Variant continues, big thanks to the huge efforts of the editors.
Snippets of my text here. Thank you to all my comrades in Art Workers for Palestine, especially Xuanlin Tham who read a draft of my piece and made characteristically incisive suggestions.
Copies of variant are circulating for free and the texts will also be online soon.
IN OUR LIFETIME, an anti-imperialist resource, featuring poetry, essays, questions, prompts, letters and works of anti-colonial imaginary by Mira Mattar, Lola Olufemi, Hannah Proctor, Houria Bouteldja, Farah Saleh, Amirah M Silmi, Maya Uppal, Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Ayreen Anstas, Rene Gabri and Jericho Mars. Edited and with an introduction by me. The resource reflects the historical and contemporary internationalism of the Palestinian resistance and the universalising dimension of the Palestinian cause. Thinking through the relation between Palestinian intifada and revolution in the imperial core, it aims to provide tools for steadfastness and action towards Palestinian liberation, to imagine, build structures, warp imperial temporality, and break through the many impasses of the present conjuncture.
The resource was produced by myself, with and for this year’s Arika, and is intended to be used by educators, activists and youth groups. It will be distributed to participants at a workshop I am facilitating at Arika this Friday, where I will be collecting for the Ghassan Abu-Sittah Children’s Fund. I think there are a handful of tickets left - you can book tickets via their website. Please get in touch if you would like a pdf, or if you would like me to deliver a workshop around this material.
Image 1 - front cover
Image 2 - Mira Mattar
Image 3 - Lola Olufemi
Image 4 - Hannah Proctor
Image 5 - Houria Bouteldja
Image 6 - Farah Saleh
Image 7 - Amirah Silmi
Image 8 - Maya Uppal
Image 9 - Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Image 10-11 Jericho Mars
Thanks to all the contributors for their astonishing pieces, and to comrades at Arika.
There is only one solution: intifada, revolution!
GOVAN PROJECT SPACE SUN 17th MAY
Do you have what it takes to be the new director of Guggenheim Glasgow?
Come down to Govan Project Space @govanprojectspace this Sunday, 17th May, between 12-4pm. We will film you making your application video. If you can’t make it down, send your video application to [email protected] by midnight on the 24th May.
Please message us to confirm if you can come down on Sunday.
A diverse and wide range of applicants is encouraged! No art or acting experience necessary!
Person spec:
We are looking for a true visionary to lead the brand-new Guggenheim Glasgow– the beating of Glasgow’s growing supercluster of creative excellence.
Join us to make a meaningful impact on the global art community while enjoying the unique advantages of working in the peaceful suburbs of a city determined to reactivate its identity as a world-leading city of culture.
We want you to tell us your creative vision for Glasgow and its people, your ability to work on multi-dimensional corporate mega-events, and your willingness to confront scandal, corporate espionage and violence with a cool head.
*Please note that a special compensation package is available for this role due to the grisly and unfortunate fate of previous candidates.
**IMPORTANT NOTE: all application videos may be used in our inaugural launch exhibition at Glasgow International 2026.. Please bear this in mind when preparing material, dressing yourself.
Good Morning asks...WHAT’S YOUR VIEWS ON THE GLASGOW GUGGENHEIM PROJECT IN MILNGAVIE? SHOULD IT GO AHEAD OR SHOULD IT BE SCRAPPED?
In our upcoming phone-in we are talking about the Guggenheim Glasgow. It has been described as the heartbeat and leading star of Glasgow’s growing supercluster of creative excellence, joining a growing constellation of Guggenheim museums that are unlike any other in the world.
The project has been marred by controversy, not least a spate of murders which have been linked by some directly to the museum. With escalating costs and monumentally delayed timelines, we are asking our audience what they think about this new mega gallery proposed for the reservoir site in Milngavie?
We would love to hear from you! Our phone lines are currently experiencing a high volume of calls so please DM us your responses. This can be a text or voicenote. Alternatively if you’d like us to record you live in the studio DM for details.
Good Morning Radio Scotland: your stories - your voices!
Glasgow International 2026 Spotlight 💡
Milngavie Columbo, @milngavie_columbo
Presented by Jamie Bolland @mercuro__chrome
Hussein Mitha @hussmitha Nadia Rossi @stinking_earthfan Bex Šik @bexsik Joey Simons @jimmyseeyou
Imbued with the spirit of class warfare from the original 1970s detective show, Milngavie Columbo is an experimental installation drawing together fragments of scripts, storyboards, soundtracks, audition tapes, and architectural models to create a satire of the villainous artworld bourgeoisie.
Forty years on from Glasgow’s tenure as the European City of Culture, the well-heeled suburb of Milngavie has won the bid for Britain’s first Guggenheim Museum. A turf war ensues as developers, architects, and art directors tear each other apart to secure lucrative posts and contracts.
When a body turns up draped across Milngavie town square’s famous clock, Columbo is brought in to solve the case, only to uncover backstabbing and skulduggery among those charged with delivering cultural salvation to the city. The interlocking structures of class, culture, and power are revealed as he closes in on the suspects
📍 Milngavie Columbo is at Govan Project Space @govanprojectspace 5 – 21 June, visit the link in our bio to see full dates and opening times.
Image:
Milngavie Columbo, 2026, courtesy of the artists
International Callout for New Director of Guggenheim Milngavie!
Do you want to be a villain in a special episode of Milngavie Columbo for Glasgow International 2026?
Reply to the callout with a casting video sent to [email protected] (up to 5mins length). Email us for full submission specs or more info.
A diverse and wide range of applicants is encouraged! No art or acting experience necessary!
Person spec:
We are looking for a true visionary to lead the brand-new Guggenheim Milngavie – the heartbeat of Glasgow’s growing supercluster of creative excellence.
Join us to make a meaningful impact on the global art community while enjoying the unique advantages of working in the peaceful suburbs of a city determined to reactivate its identity as a world-leading city of culture.
We want you to tell us your creative vision for Glasgow and its people, your ability to work on multi-dimensional corporate mega-events, and your willingness to confront scandal, corporate espionage and violence with a cool head.
*Please note that a special compensation package is available for this role due to the grisly and unfortunate fate of previous candidates.
**IMPORTANT NOTE: all application videos may be used in our inaugural launch exhibition at Glasgow International 2026 at Govan Project Space. Please bare this in mind when preparing material, dressing yourself and submitting your application. We will send a release form on receipt of submission.
Chatting about my practice (lol imposter syndrome) with the Art and Design students at Glasgow Kelvin College today. Showed them this possible side project, an essay on Michelangelo, I haven’t had time/money to work on. Someone commission me to write it plz! xx
🗣️ Calling all young anti-imperialist writers, illustrators and artists!
Seeds of Resistance is making a publication centring youth voices in our ongoing struggle against imperialism. The publication will consist of essays, comic-strips, artworks and other forms, and will be used as learning resources for other young anti-imperialists. The publication will explore what it means to fight, organise and learn in the imperial core, and ask how we can deepen effective solidarity with those experiencing colonial oppression and resisting empire.
If you would like to get involved, message us here, email [email protected] or come along to an open session this Friday at Rumpus Room, with Ardis and Huss, 4-6pm.
Young people will be encouraged to pick and research a topic, receive editorial support from Maya and Huss, and read or display their final pieces in local spaces.
We have a small budget which will be split among contributors. We also have a budget to cover travel. If you decide to write a submission, please write an email titled “SOR Publication” containing 1-3 sentences about your idea to [email protected] - the final deadline for registering interest is at midnight on Sunday the 29th of March. You will receive a confirmation email once we know the number of writers. The deadline for submitting your finished work is Sunday the 3rd of May.
Please share this call-out to anyone who might be interested. You don’t need to have come to a Seeds of Resistance session before :)
I stand in solidarity with the signatories of ANGA’s demands and support their call to exclude Israel from the Venice Biennale.
The widening war we are witnessing did not appear overnight. It grows from years of normalizing Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its 78 year occupation of Palestine, allowing institutions to treat it as an exception.
Culture must not provide cover for genocide and the brutal imperial aggression being unleashed on Iran and Lebanon.
No genocide pavilion.
No artwashing in our name.
Share this post to voice your support.
@angalliance
This Friday - Exploring the Life and Work of Ghassan Kanafani (1936-1972), one of Palestine’s Leading Revolutionary Intellectuals.
Join us for a free session with Hazem Jamjoum @sira36abaqi - translator of Ghassan Kanafani’s The 1936-1939 Revolution in Palestine
We will be learning more about Kanafani’s life, his work as a literary and analytical writer, and as a revolutionary editor and leader. The presentation will cover topics relating to his life, his fictional writings, his long form analytical writings, his role as an editor, and his legacy. The session will end with a discussion of Kanafani’s prescient analysis of “Palestinian statehood” as outlined in his article “The Spectre of the Palestinian State”
Friday 28th November, 6-8pm, online, part of @seedsofresistance.glasgow public programme, all welcome.
This event will be on zoom with captions, it is free and all welcome to join as part of our wider programme of talks. You can sign up via eventbrite link in @rumpusroom_ bio. Any access requests or for more info email [email protected]
