Publics Residency

From May 2026, artist rah naqvi will join us from Amsterdam for the third Publics Residency in partnership with Mondriaan Fonds. 

rah is a maker who loves many mediums. they prefer slow processes of making and sometimes fast, to urge us towards action. they make work in dissent and disapproval of what often surrounds the act of making - enforced institutional isolations, empty social appearances, and cycles of dependence on institutions and grants. their practice has evolved to become an attempt to understand what should have been easy for us all but is made difficult in a broken world that values capital over joy and generosity. 

they love to sing and write songs in pursuit of liberation, in critique, and in adoration of nature and quieter beings. they love crafting and gossiping together, creating networks of solidarities and building community outside of transactional spaces. their practice draws inspiration from the resilience of their people and their persistence in faith despite adversity.

initially trained in textile practices, rah now works across song, performance, painting, wood carving, writing, video, and community crafting. a hope of theirs is to visibly link and draw parallels between mutual struggles, even if they are oceans apart. their 85 year old grandmother and their cat (not 85), are their biggest muses.

On residency rah will be building connections and communities through song, land-based music, traditional crafts, radical readings and gossip. They are imagining a series of workshops where learning feels joyful and skills can be exchanged with generosity and resistance to capitalist systems. Though, like all residencies, this will grow through collaboration with local communities in Huntly. 

If you are interested in rah’s practice or residency, please get in touch! We’d love to hear from you and can keep you updated as the residency develops.