Catriona Anderson, MLitt Curatorial Practice and Ronan Donnachie, BA (Hons) Fine Art Photography, have both been named as recipients of Venice Fellowships at the British Pavilion, supporting the exhibition ‘Predicting History: Testing Translation’ by Lubaina Himid RA CBE, part of the Venice Biennial 2026.
The two GSA students will join Sixty Venice Fellows representing the UK at the British Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition. The Venice Fellows will undergo a six-week online induction programme for their role as invigilators, developing intercultural skills in preparation for their month-long residency in Venice. During their residency experience the students will also develop their own creative and research projects to be showcased on their return.
Catriona Anderson’s project will examine Lubaina Himid’s exhibition as a performative site activated through encounter and negotiation. Drawing on Himid’s use of radical imagination and the politics of refusal, Catriona will examine how Himid’s work uses stage prompts, instructions, and imagined narratives to reposition the visitor as a participant. During the residency, Catriona will maintain a daily observation log recording gestures, murmurs, pauses, and spatial rhythms. Her methodology will include walking Venice and facilitating workshops for collective reflection. The outcome of Catriona’s fellowship will be a small publication containing a constellation of sketches, photographs, and written forms—serving as an ongoing activation of collective knowledge-making.
As an Afro-Caribbean-Scottish creative, Ronan Donnachie is driven to create human-led experiences that contribute to building a global, multicultural community. Ronan’s research draws comparisons between Venice, his Greenock hometown, and West Indies cultural roots to highlight the complex and conflicting nature of being a post-colonial descendant within civilisations that have profited from empire and the slave trade. Ronan intends to challenge biased leanings and misinformation in white Western narratives, positively promoting the reclamation of the identities of persons of colour. By exploring Venetian maritime heritage and resultant multiculturalism, Ronan will collaborate to produce physical works and publications that celebrate the uniqueness of communities of colour in a supportive environment.
Further information about the British Pavilion exhibition ‘Predicting History: Testing Translation’ by Lubaina Himid RA CBE can be found HERE.
For any additional information, please contact press@gsa.ac.uk.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3,500 students and staff and 22,000 alumni across architecture, design, fine art and innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands). Consistently ranked as one of Scotland’s leading institutions for widening participation and access, 60% of graduates choose to remain in Glasgow after graduation, sustaining Glasgow’s position as one of the UK’s leading centres for the cultural and creative industries.
About the British Pavilion
The official Biennale exhibition is spread across two venues in the east of the city: the Arsenale and the Giardini. The Giardini, an area of parkland, houses the Central exhibition Pavilion and 29 national pavilions. Each of them, including the British Pavilion, presents its own showcase from a particular country or region.
The British Pavilion was originally a café-restaurant until it was converted into an exhibition space by British architect E. A. Rickards in 1909.
Formed of six galleries, the British Pavilion is a 19th-century neo-classical listed building set in the leafy grounds of the Giardini.
The Pavilion has had a fascinating history and, in 1937, the British Council took over the building and became responsible for showcasing the best of UK contemporary artists, architects, designers and curators.
