New exhibition by Falkirk's Dame Barbara Rae explores Shackleton's ill-fated voyage
Icy landscapes and exploration inspire artist’s new showcase
A major new exhibition by Falkirk-born artist Dame Barbara Rae will explore the icy landscapes of the Antarctic and the legacy of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Charting South opens at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in Edinburgh on November 21, serving as the closing highlight of the institution's bicentenary celebrations. The free exhibition runs until January 24, 2027.
Dame Barbara, who was born in Falkirk and made a dame in the 2025 New Year Honours, is internationally renowned for her vibrant use of colour and expressive mark-making as both a painter and master printmaker.
Following her hugely popular 2018 exhibition focusing on the Arctic, Dame Barbara turned her attention south, travelling to the Antarctic in late 2022. Driven by a longstanding desire to experience remote landscapes first-hand, she traced the route of Shackleton's ill-fated 1914-17 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
The new showcase brings together a significant body of paintings and prints, alongside archival material and sketchbooks inspired by her travels. The exhibition also includes works inspired by Frank Hurley, the photographer who accompanied Shackleton on the historic voyage.
Beyond the explorers, Dame Barbara's work delves into the history of whaling. The pieces examine the significance and legacy of the industry, raising questions about the future of former whaling sites and highlighting ongoing conservation efforts in South Georgia.
Flora La Thangue, RSA head of programme, said: “Barbara Rae’s Charting South is a hugely significant exhibition and a fitting way to bring our bicentenary year to a close.
“Barbara has an exceptional ability to respond to the places, people and histories she encounters. Charting South continues her long-standing fascination with remote landscapes, taking us from the Arctic to the Antarctic through a body of work that is both visually striking and deeply thoughtful.
“It feels particularly meaningful to be spending the final months of RSA200 celebrating the work of an artist whose own history is so closely intertwined with the academy, while looking at the ways she continues to push her practice forward.”
Educated in Crieff before studying at the Edinburgh College of Art, Dame Barbara was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1980 and became a full member in 1992.