Works on Paper: Art and Energy

Works on Paper: Art and Energy is running at Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill, until 14 March 2027, having opened on 26 October 2025. It's the second in a series of annual displays that dip into the Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums' collection of works on paper — which, for the record, covers anything using paper as its main surface: drawings, paintings, prints, collages and photographs. This one looks at how artists from the 1970s to the present day have engaged with the monumental infrastructure of the energy industry, from pylons to wind turbines.

It's a subject that sits close to home here. The energy industry has shaped the landscape and the economy of the North East for decades, and this exhibition pulls together how that's been captured on paper over the last fifty years. Because it's part of a series, it's one of several annual looks at the collection's works on paper, so if you've seen the previous one, this is the next chapter.

It's worth keeping in mind where this sits. Aberdeen Art Gallery holds one of the finest art collections in the country, spanning 700 years and bringing together local, national and international artists, designers and makers. Over the last 130 years, it's acquired contemporary work by Joan Eardley, the Scottish Colourists, Francis Bacon, Tracey Emin, Claude Monet and Barbara Hepworth. This exhibition is a specific slice of that, drawn from the archives rather than the permanent hang.

If you want a bit more context while you're walking through, the gallery offers the Bloomberg Connects app as a digital guide to the collection, the building and its exhibitions, available in more than 25 languages. Entry is free, and the show runs until 14 March 2027 at Schoolhill, AB10 1FQ.