Mercedes Azpilicueta: Fire on the Mountain, Light on the Hill
Collective are delighted to presents the first solo exhibition in Scotland of visual and performance artist Mercedes Azpilicueta!
About Mercedes Azpilicueta: Fire on the Mountain, Light on the Hill
Mercedes Azpilicueta, originally from Buenos Aires, is now based in Amsterdam. This will be her first solo exhibition in Scotland.
Fire on the Mountain, Light on the Hill will also form part of Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF)’s programme, taking place from 7 – 24 August 2025.
Azpilicueta’s work is committed to an exploration of care and resistance, often considering and revealing less well-known stories from history, and platforming the role of women who have made a difference in the past, and who continue to inspire in the present.
For this show, she brings these subjects together in a presentation centred on a major work entitled ‘Potatoes, Riots and Other Imaginaries’ (2021). This mixed media installation weaves together historic and contemporary themes – inspired by the artist’s research of the 1917 Potato Riots in the Jordaan neighbourhood of Amsterdam, directly organised by working class women of this community in response to the extreme food shortages they faced during the First World War. The show also references contemporary collective action in the form of Ni Una Menos – the feminist grass roots social movement in Argentina, that campaigns against gender based violence, in which Azpilicueta has played an active role since 2015.
Presented in our City Dome Gallery, the installation will be presented in an expanded form – featuring the central monumental human-scale Jaquard tapestry. Sculptural elements reference items of clothing, tools, or utensils associated with labour and a sound piece introduces whispered gossip and glimpses of songs from social demonstrations. The tapestry’s rich and layered collage of archival and contemporary imagery references subjects including war, food economies, collective action and women-led global rights movements.
A newly commissioned performance on Friday 22 August will be central to the presentation, connecting the themes of the tapestry to Collective’s site on Calton Hill. Azpilicueta has come together with award winning, Edinburgh based artist and choreographer Janice Parker to devise this live event along with other Scottish performers. The exhibition will present drawings relating to the choreography and costumes that will be worn as part of the performance for Edinburgh Art Festival’s closing weekend.
Azpilicueta’s recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition at Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía-C3A, Córdoba (2024), alongside presentations at the Barbican, London (2024) and Gasworks, London (2021).
Image credit: Daniel Nicolas
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!Sponsored Links
Other Events at Collective Edinburgh
Panorama: New Views of a City
Collective Edinburgh's Panorama programme takes inspiration from the origins of the panorama to explore how we see, move through and understand the city today.
READ MORESponsored Links
Similar events you might like...
Scotland: An Inner Journey – A Photography Exhibition
Embark on a visual journey into the soul of Scotland through the lens of Sergio Romero at the Institut Français d’Écosse!
READ MORE
Patterns of Life: Jenny Martin RSW at Morningside Gallery
A new exhibition of work from Scottish artist Jenny Martin RSW, an Edinburgh-based painter and printmaker, is showing at Morningside Gallery from 20th September.
READ MORE
Thoughts of Home - A Collaborative Exhibition at The Biscuit Factory
Created in partnership with Eleanor Cunningham and Cyrenians, this special event at The Biscuit Factory on 23rd September, explores what it means to feel at home and grounded in a sense of belonging!
READ MORE
Gathered Exhibition
Gathered, an exhibition at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, is the result of Gillian Martin’s four-month artistic residency and close observation of Edinburgh’s urban environment.
READ MORE
Beneath: An Oak & Ember Exhibition
Beneath: An Oak & Ember Exhibition, is a descent into the unseen, the buried, the hidden. Catch it at Whitespace Edinburgh!
READ MORE
Parallels III
Catch Parallels III, a group exhibition showcasing the work of Anna Gormezano Marks, Fiona Luing, Jenni Colquhoun and Solii Brodie, spanning art, illustration and jewellery.
READ MORE
Edinburgh Open Workshop - Doors Open Day
Discover creativity on your doorstep as Edinburgh Open Workshop invites you to step inside for Doors Open Day 2025 on Saturday 27th September!
READ MORE
Doors Open Days - Edinburgh
Scotland's annual Doors Open Days festival gives you free access to lots of fascinating buildings across Edinburgh! This year's event will be held on September 27th & 28th!
READ MORE
The Art of Taking Up Space
The Art of Taking Up Space is an exhibition by young people in Edinburgh about youth mental health. Catch it at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall!
READ MOREFind other events in Edinburgh
Sponsored Links