The City Art Centre will present the new exhibition by Michael Fullerton (b.1971), whose work spans painting, printmaking, and sculpture, from Saturday 22 November 2025 to Sunday 1 March 2026.
Known for his focus on portraiture, Fullerton engages with complex figures, exposes socio-political power dynamics, and brings to light hidden or forgotten histories. His practice brings attention to overlooked individuals, often connecting disparate ideas and images to form new meanings.
For this exhibition, Fullerton presents a new series of paintings created following his time living and working at the Hilltop Hotel in Carlisle. At the time, the hotel was used as accommodation for people seeking asylum in the UK.
While employed there, first as a general assistant and later in the kitchen, Fullerton developed close relationships with members of the community who hailed from various countries. The resulting portraits reflect these encounters, giving visibility to people and stories often absent from public view.
Alongside these new works, the exhibition includes a selection of prints spanning more than 20 years of Fullerton’s career. Working primarily with silkscreen on newsprint, he has used printmaking as both an extension and counterpoint to his painting, exploring the medium’s capacity for mass-production.
To accompany the exhibition, Fullerton has produced a new commissioned screenprint. His reinterpretation of John Thomson’s ‘Abbotsford, The Home of Sir Walter Scott’ (1828) considers the continuing influence of Romanticism and the legacies of Thomson and Scott in shaping ideas of Scottish national identity.
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said:
Edinburgh’s cultural institutions are central to our city’s identity, and exhibitions like this remind us of the importance of art in helping us understand the world around us.
I’m delighted that the City Art Centre continues to champion artists who contribute to Scotland’s vibrant and inclusive culture, and Michael Fullerton’s work speaks directly to this by exploring themes of identity and socio-political power dynamics, and the way we tell and preserve our stories.
By drawing attention to people and experiences that are often overlooked, his work encourages us to reflect on belonging and the shared humanity that connects us all.
Curator Stuart Fallon said:
Michael is an artist who asks important questions in new ways, inviting his audiences to deeply consider, or reconsider, the subjects of his works.
Alongside, the display of his print archive brings together an extraordinary body of work created over 25 years. Together they showcase the practice of one of the most significant Scottish artists of his generation.
Tickets are £5.00 and are available to . Free concessionary or discounted entry tickets can only be purchased on the day of the visit, from the reception desk at the City Art Centre.