Shona Macnaughton (she/her) is an artist based in Glasgow. Mainly working in performance, each live event is structured around a state, institutional or labour process. Collaging contemporary character archetypes of tone and movement with political histories, her performances involve the failure of interaction and a participative tension, which result in pathologically awkward encounters.

Shona completed her MFA at Edinburgh College of Art in 2009. From 2011–2017 she was part of the collective Eastern Surf, exhibiting and performing internationally with a focus on digital technology and processes of gentrification. From 2009–2011 she was co-director of artist-run Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh.

She is currently undertaking practice-based PhD research at Northumbria University.

Shona has performed and exhibited nationally and internationally in visual art venues, theatres, public space and online platforms. Selected previous projects include: The Participatory Clinic at Glasgow Women’s Library 2025; Here To Deliver, performed internationally, commissioned by Edinburgh University’s Contemporary Art Collection 2020; Progressive, solo presentation at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh as part of NOW 6, 2019; Mandatory Reconsideration, Parse Journal, Gothenburg, Sweden 2019; We Nurture, Collective, Edinburgh 2018-19; The Universal School Girl, Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh and Jerwood Space, London, 2016.

Her work is part of Edinburgh University’s Contemporary Art Collection.

Residencies include: An Exchange of Method, Collective and Artlink, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2017;  Research residency with Eastern Surf, Hangar Art Centre, Barcelona, Spain, 2015; Selected Summer Programme Residency, Hospitalfield, Arbroath, Scotland, 2014.

Recent writing include in Variant Magazine, 2025; The Contemporary Journal of Painting, 2025; Performance in a Pandemic, Routledge, UK, 2021; Platform Journal of Performing Art, Royal Holloway College, London, UK, 2020 ; Art Without Space, Oaza Books, Zagreb, 2020; Revista MESA Art_Care, Rio de Janeiro, 2018. Her first book ‘Here to Deliver’ was published in 2022 by University of Edinburgh Art Collection.

 

 

Exhibitions and Projects

2025

The Participatory Clinic

Performance event, curator and performer

Glasgow women's Library

2024

What if we all knew

Performance festival

LARGE, Academy of Fine Arts, Prague

Creative Discharge

Performance for event as part of 'The Fourth Wall exhibition by Phillip Ewe

Strangefield, Glasgow

What Some Women Did

Performance

Seen and Unseen, Carole Rhodes Symposium, Glasgow School of Art

Give Your Thoughts and Win

Performance/workshop

School of Culture & Creative Arts, Glasgow University

2023

Talented Grants

Performance and essay

Broadside, Glasgow

Public Consultation

Performance

Various - Dissenter Space and Summerhall, Edinburgh

2022

Here To Deliver

Book launch and performance

David Dale Gallery

2021

Here to Deliver

Moving image work

Commissioned by Edinburgh University Art Collection

Performance in a Pandemic

Essay contribution to volume

Routledge, 2021

Life Support

Group Exhibition

Glasgow Women's Library, August 2021

2020

Here to Deliver

Durational Performance

Various Glasgow commissioned by Edinburgh University Contemporary Art Collection and 'Platforming Creativity' research project

NOW 6

Solo presentation

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh.

Pre ramble

Performance

David Dale Gallery, Glasgow

2019

Aquatic Needs

Performance for 12-Hour Non-State Parade

Cooper Gallery, Dundee

Mandatory Reconsideration

Performance for Eastern Promise Festival

Platform, Easterhouse

Never off/work

Performance for Parse Journal Art and Work edition

Valand Academy at Skogen theatre, Gothenburg

We Nurture

Performance

Collective, Edinbrugh

2018

We Nurture

Publication

Collective, Edinburgh

Cabinet Interventions

Group Exhibition

Pollok House, Glasgow International Festival

2017

Bodybuilding

Group Exhibition

Market Gallery, Glasgow

Live/Work

Group Exhibition

Open House Festival, Glasgow

ilovemyjob

Online performance with Eastern Surf

commissioned by net.cube gallery, Zagreb, Croatia

2016

Arm’s Length Government Body

Solo Presentation

Céline, Glasgow

Blend the acclaim of your chant with the Timbrels

Performance Event

Jerwood Space, London

The Scottish Endarkenment. Art and Unreason. 1945 to Present

Group Exhibition

Dovecot, Edinburgh

When slaves love one another, it’s not love

Screening

AVPC 2016: Visual Pedagogies and Digital Cultures. Zagreb, Croatia.

Isn’t it wonderful there in the brightness

Screening

Edinburgh Artists’ Moving Image Festival

2015

Notes From Technotopia

Group Exhibtion

Gallery II and Black Dogs, Bradford

Accept The Mystery!

Performance event with Eastern Surf

The Northern Charter, Newcastle

Pastoral Futures

Reading group event as part of ‘How to write: Reading Groups’

Five Years, London

Compass Festival

performance and workshop

Compass Live Arts, Leeds

Counterpoint

Group Exhibition

Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh

Education

2023-

PhD candidate Northumbria University

2007 - 09

MFA Sculpture Edinburgh College of Art

2003 - 06

BA Fine Art Bournemouth Arts Institute

2005

Iceland Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik

Colophon

Design and Development: Romulus Studio

Font: Calibre by Klim