50 Years of Naboland and The Behrens Family
This October, The Scottish Gallery is proud to present a landmark double exhibition: 50 Years of Naboland and The Behrens Family!
About 50 Years of Naboland and The Behrens Family
This October, The Scottish Gallery is proud to present a landmark double exhibition: 50 Years of Naboland and The Behrens Family. Together, these parallel shows celebrate one of the most original artistic journeys of our time, while also revealing the extraordinary breadth of creativity across three generations of the Behrens family.
For half a century, Reinhard Behrens has constructed and voyaged through his mythical land of Naboland. With its submarine expeditions, dreamlike seascapes, and imaginative cartographies, Naboland has become both a place and an odyssey. It is an astonishing body of work that defies convention and redefines storytelling through art.
This immersive exhibition will transform two floors of The Scottish Gallery into Naboland itself, offering audiences the chance to step inside Behrens’ unique universe. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a new publication from The Scottish Gallery which will provide further insights into the mythology, imagery and enduring significance of Behren’s extraordinary creation.
50 Years of Naboland will position Reinhard Behrens rightly as one of the most original and visionary artists of his generation.
Alongside Naboland, The Scottish Gallery is delighted to present The Behrens Family, a showcase of creativity that spans painting, sculpture, music, film, automata and more.
This family exhibition includes works by:
Reinhard Behrens:
With its submarines, strange coastlines, and dreamlike cartography, Reinhard’s work invites us to consider travel, place, and the persistence of wonder.
Margaret Behrens Smyth:
Margaret Smyth, painter, brings a quiet lyricism to her work. Her paintings, often rooted in nature and memory, offer a meditative counterpoint to the narrative drama of Naboland. Together, Reinhard and Margaret’s artistic lives have formed a deeply generative partnership that has nurtured creativity across generations.
Kirstie Behrens:Kirstie Behrens is an accomplished printmaker specialising in etching and drawing. A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee, her practice is grounded in careful observation and process, with a particular sensitivity to mark-making and material. Her work reflects her mother’s quietude and her father’s precision, offering a contemplative and refined perspective on the world.
David Behrens:
David Behrens is a trained musician blending music, sculpture, and movement in his kinetic automata and mobiles. He channels a playful intelligence into his artistic practice, with each mobile or automata animated by a sense of narrative and mechanical poetry. While David’s art shares his father’s sense of invention, his speaks with a distinct voice shaped by sound, rhythm, and cinematic vision.
Together, these four voices offer a kaleidoscopic view of artistic inheritance, innovation and collaboration, demonstrating how creativity can flourish within and across generations.
Image: Reinhard Behrens - Taxi to Tibet
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? Follow us on Facebook and join the What's On Scotland Group!Sponsored Links
Other Events at The Scottish Gallery
From the Forest to the Forge: Lachlan Goudie
This exhibition will, for the first time, bring together the complete range of works produced by Lachlan Goudie during his fifteen-year painting pilgrimage through Industrial Britain.
READ MORESponsored Links
Similar events you might like...
Synaesthesia – An interactive photography exhibition by Ben Lesko
Synaesthesia, an interactive photography exhibition by Ben Lesko, is showing at Leith Makers from 5th - 9th November!
READ MORE
Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia is an interactive photography exhibition by Ben Lesko, where the photographs are paired with carefully chosen pieces of music via QR codes. Catch it at Leith Makers from 5-9th November!
READ MORE
OOSOOM Uncovered
OOSOOM Uncovered is a unique opportunity to engage with the Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition’s Planning Group and volunteers. Everyone is welcome to join!
READ MORE
Synaesthesia – Open Reception of Ben Lesko’s interactive photography exhibition
Come along to Leith Makers on Friday 7th November for the Open Reception of Synaesthesia, an interactive photography exhibition by Ben Lesko!
READ MORE
MOVEMENT: A ceramics exhibition by the Bridge Pottery Collective
The Bridge Pottery Collective presents the work of its members in MOVEMENT, an exhibition exploring the dynamics of ceramics. Catch it at Scot-ART from 8th - 15th November!
READ MORE
Diaspora In Vogue exhibition and fashion show
Diaspora in vogue is a cultural exhibition and amazing fashion show involving talented fashion designers and creatives and young models, taking place at Ladywell House on 8th November.
READ MORE
Silver, Salt and Songs: Exhibition Launch
Join Jill de Fresnes, Christine Kydd and Patsy Seddon to celebrate the launch of the Silver, Salt and Stories exhibition, running at the Scottish Storytelling Centre during November.
READ MORE
Edinburgh HI-AV Show
Join us at The Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh Airport on 8th & 9th November when the Edinburgh HI-AV Show returns!
READ MORE
Exhibition of Paintings by Gerry McGowan
Come along to Patriothall in Stockbridge for an exhibition of paintings by Gerry McGowan, recently selected as a finalist for the Scottish Landscape Awards 2025.
READ MOREFind other events in Edinburgh
Sponsored Links