Cura – a solo exhibition by Alison Philp at Green Gallery, Dundee University Botanic Gardens
From 5th until 18th January 2026, I had my first solo exhibition in the light-filled cabin space that is the Green Gallery in Dundee University Botanic Gardens
The Green Gallery is an eco-building in the form of a wooden cabin with a grass roof and large glasswindows overlooking the River Tay. Its use of natural materials and light-filled space beautifully blurs the boundaries between inside and outside. It is a particularly resonant setting for artwork rooted in close observation of the natural world.
This exhibition opportunity was made possible by the Dundee-based Art & Nature Collective, which in November 2025 put out a call specifically for artist members who had never had a solo exhibition before.
Although I have previously exhibited many times in group exhibitions, the chance to see how my work stood by itself — and in relation to one another — was both interesting and surprising. The timing of the opportunity was especially well placed, as in 2025, I received a VACMA grant from Fife Contemporary to support a short residency at St Andrews Botanic Gardens, an experience that deepened my relationship with working in and through botanical spaces.
Cura brought together several strands of my practice: drawings and paintings exploring observation, memory, and the quiet drama of natural forms; artist books with intimate, fragile pages made from translucent papers using ink and watercolour; and a single textile piece that introduced a decorative and tactile dimension to the exhibition as a whole.
I have always enjoyed experimenting with different media and ways of making – the one constant
across all the works has always been a shared attentiveness to texture, time, and the ways that close looking can become a form of care.
I was supported in curating the exhibition by my appointed mentor, Astrid Leeson, whose guidance and curatorial abilities were invaluable. The installation process allowed me to see my own work in a new way — not simply as individual pieces, but as parts that sat in relation to each other and spoke to the surrounding landscape beyond the gallery.
January was a quiet time in the gardens, but the visitors who made it along were all thoughtful and appreciative, many curious about my processes and also taking significant time with individual pieces.
My main takeaway from the exhibition was the space it gave me to see the work anew and the time it allowed me to reflect on what I have been making over the past few years. The experience of a solo exhibition has given me invaluable insights for the creation of future artworks and ultimately a greater confidence in my practice.