Art & Culture | The WFY Magazine, September 2025
Edinburgh Art Fair 2025: A Global Celebration of Creativity and Community
Art has always been one of the clearest ways for people to connect across language, geography, and history. In Scotland, the Edinburgh Art Fair has become a landmark in this tradition. From its first edition in 2005 to its current twentieth anniversary in 2025, the event has carried a consistent message: art should be for everyone. Over the years, it has grown into one of the United Kingdom’s most vibrant showcases, bringing together hundreds of artists, galleries, collectors, and visitors from across the world.
This year, the Fair returns to the O2 Academy (formerly the Corn Exchange) from 19 to 21 September, with a special preview evening on 18 September. The programme promises thousands of works, interactive events, and a unique sense of cultural exchange that cannot be replicated in any other venue in Scotland.
Two Decades of Art for Everyone
Since its launch, the Edinburgh Art Fair has hosted hundreds of exhibitors and welcomed more than 250,000 visitors. Its commitment has been to ensure that the art on display is not confined to elite auction houses or exclusive circles but accessible to the public, both in terms of entry and affordability. This mission is reflected in the diversity of works presented: paintings, prints, glass, ceramics, sculptures, metalwork, textiles, and mixed media.
One of the enduring appeals of the Fair is the range of prices, from £100 to £50,000. The event makes it possible for a first-time buyer to acquire an original piece of art at the same venue where seasoned collectors can invest in high-value works. By opening the doors to all levels of collectors, the Fair nurtures a culture of appreciation rather than intimidation.
International Voices, Local Anchors
The Fair has always been as global as it is local. In 2025, visitors can expect to see Japanese paintings, Maldivian porcelain, African art represented by galleries from Manchester, and contemporary prints from London. South Korea’s Kim Mi Hyo Gallery is returning for its fourth appearance, underscoring the Fair’s role as a bridge between Edinburgh and the global art scene.
Scottish artists also remain central to the event. Works by established names such as Peter Howson will be displayed alongside pieces by emerging Edinburgh graduates. Local creativity also includes street-inspired art from graffiti artist Sleek, innovative glass by A Heart of Glass from Leicestershire, and traditional metalwork from Perthshire’s Keltyneyburn Smithy. This mix ensures that the Fair is both a mirror of international trends and a celebration of Scottish craftsmanship.
The Agora: Community as the Core Theme
A significant addition to this year’s Fair is the Agora, a space inspired by the ancient Greek marketplace where people gathered for commerce, discussion, and cultural exchange. In today’s fractured world, this concept takes on new relevance. The organisers have invited fifteen exhibitors to create works around the theme of “community”.
The results are strikingly varied. One artist has painted London’s Leak Street tunnel, a gathering spot for graffiti artists, capturing the raw energy of urban expression. Another presents a sculpted vessel symbolising the intersection of personal reflection and shared experience. A Pakistani-Scottish artist has drawn inspiration from the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, presenting it as a historic place of spiritual and cultural gathering. Abstract paintings inspired by Anatolian rooftops evoke neighbourhood life, each roof representing a family in an interconnected mosaic.
By turning the spotlight on “community”, the Fair not only acknowledges art’s role in aesthetic pleasure but also its power to foster belonging and dialogue.
A Marketplace and a Meeting Place
The Edinburgh Art Fair is not merely an exhibition but an active space for participation. Visitors can attend talks, live demonstrations, and workshops. Children can try their hand at painting in the Open Easels area, ensuring the event remains family-friendly. The programme also includes short films, charity fundraisers, and interactive spaces that encourage people to linger rather than just browse.
This emphasis on interaction echoes the original motto of “Art for Everyone”. For families, it provides an opportunity to experience art together, with children engaged while adults explore the exhibitions. For students and collectors, it is an open classroom where techniques are explained, and creative processes are made visible.
Special Highlights of the 2025 Edition
1. Live Painting
Scottish painter Alexander Miller, known for his nostalgic depictions of ordinary people in everyday settings, will paint live during the Fair on 19 and 21 September. His works, often featuring figures in flat caps and headscarves, have developed a loyal following, and the chance to watch him create on the spot adds a rare dimension to the experience.
2. Bad Poetry, Good Cause
Charles Nasmyth, who took part in the first Edinburgh Art Fair in 2005, returns with a large-scale painting inspired by the notorious 19th-century poet William McGonagall. The work blends satire and history, incorporating figures as diverse as McGonagall himself, fictional characters, and modern personalities. It will be auctioned to raise funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, dedicated to research into motor neurone disease.
3. Immersive Technology Meets Art
Edinburgh artist Trevor Jones presents Titanium Angel, an immersive installation that began as a monumental triptych but now incorporates augmented reality, animation, and projection. Visitors can step inside the artwork, experiencing it as both painting and moving image. This reflects a broader trend of art blending with technology, opening up new possibilities for audience engagement.
4. The Cancer Tapestry
Andrew Crummy, celebrated for The Great Tapestry of Scotland and The Diaspora Tapestry, introduces the first seven panels of his new Cancer Tapestry. A survivor himself, Crummy envisions a thousand-panel work representing personal stories of the disease, celebrating resilience, medical advances, and collective care. Workshops will allow visitors to contribute to the stitching, making it a deeply participatory project.
5. New Talent Spotlight
Emerging artists Eleanor Gadd and Hattie Quigley, fresh from the Edinburgh College of Art’s Degree Show, will present provocative new works. Gadd’s installation, The Funeral, features suspended masks that allow viewers to eavesdrop on imagined conversations. Quigley’s bold paintings explore femininity, food, and desire, celebrating themes often sidelined in mainstream discussions of art.
Why the Edinburgh Art Fair Matters
The Fair is more than a marketplace for art; it is a cultural phenomenon that strengthens Edinburgh’s position as one of the great art cities of Europe. Alongside the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the Art Fair ensures that September in Edinburgh is a month where creativity is on full display, drawing audiences both local and international.
The emphasis on accessibility makes it stand out. While global headlines often focus on astronomical sums at auctions, the Fair reminds us that art can be part of everyday life. A family can walk away with an original artwork for the price of a weekend outing, and that piece becomes part of their home, their story, their memory.
The Fair also contributes economically. By attracting visitors from around the world, it supports Edinburgh’s hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. It creates opportunities for young artists to enter the marketplace, for charities to raise funds, and for galleries to build long-term relationships with collectors.
The Bigger Picture
The story of the Edinburgh Art Fair reflects a broader global movement in which art fairs have become vital platforms for cultural exchange. From Basel to Miami, and now Edinburgh, such fairs serve as connectors between artists and audiences, providing alternative spaces outside the museum and gallery circuit.
The Edinburgh edition is unique in its strong emphasis on inclusivity and community. It resists becoming purely commercial by maintaining features like open workshops, child-friendly spaces, and accessible pricing. At the same time, it presents art of international calibre, from traditional crafts to digital innovations.
As the Edinburgh Art Fair enters its third decade, its greatest achievement may be that it has stayed true to its founding principle: art belongs to everyone. By bringing together the global and the local, the established and the emerging, the serious and the playful, the Fair embodies a spirit of cultural openness.
For the Indian diaspora, and indeed for readers of The WFY, such an event demonstrates how diaspora communities worldwide can stay connected to cultural currents, not only through identity-based art but also by participating in wider cultural exchanges.
The Edinburgh Art Fair of 2025 is not just an exhibition; it is a reminder that creativity, when shared, becomes a communal act.
Disclaimer: This article has been written in original words for The WFY Magazine, using factual information from event announcements, public records, and reference material provided. It avoids direct reproduction of statements by third parties. The content is intended for cultural reporting and public knowledge, not for commercial or promotional purposes.
Photo courtesy: https://www.edinburghartfestival.com/