Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle

Scotland + Venice presents “Scotland + Venice: Bugarin + Castle”, an official Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Mount Stuart Trust and led by Dr Morven Gregor, the exhibition features sculptural and moving image works by artists Bugarin + Castle. The project explores overlapping geographies and time periods, ranging from Scottish castles to Filipino cemeteries, through a contemporary queer and trans reimagining of public shaming rituals.

The narrative unfolds as a carnival-like procession of subversion. The artists transform centuries-old European customs used to discipline social transgressors—such as rough music and charivari—into a contemporary visual language. The display integrates fourteenth-century court transcripts, eighteenth-century engravings, karaoke ballads, medieval armour, and Filipino vehicle art. Specific works include the sculpture “At Certayne Tymes”, which fuses mechanical and vocal elements, and the moving image work “Submit to Sound”, which layers voice feminisation exercises. The sculptural intervention “Nocturnal Amusements” traverses the gallery spaces, posing provocations regarding discretion and identity. By mapping shame and transformation across continents, the exhibition creates a space where historic voices and contemporary culture loop together, focusing on the complexities of power and identity in motion.