‘An entire island for one person and us without a feannag’
The Vatersay Raiders (including the artist’s great-great grandfather Donnchadh Caimbeul), were imprisoned in 1908 for occupying the Isle of Vatersay, land which their ancestors where forcibly evicted from, by tyrannical landlords. Landless people seeking a life outside deprivation, taken to court by Lady Gordon Cathcart, one of the wealthiest landowners in Scotland. The ten imprisoned Raiders were later released after public outcry, a pivotal moment in Scottish land reform.
Na Raiders: ‘Eilean Mòr aig aon duine is sinne gun fheannag’ is a response to the artist’s extensive periods of research; stories heard from his grandparents, songs and folklore surrounding the Raids, and includes work made while Ferguson was undertaking Glasgow Life’s GUIR! artist incubation programme in 2025.
Please join us for the opening preview of this new work, in Gallery 1 on Saturday 4th October, at 7pm. Free and all are welcome.
Calum Mackinnon Ferguson will be giving an artist’s talk, free in Taigh Chearsabhagh on Wednesday 15th October, at 7pm. This will delve into his research into the project, and reflect on the works which don’t appear in this exhibition as well as future plans for more Na Raiders works. Please come along to hear more about the background and methods used in this work.
Calum Mackinnon Ferguson is a multi-disciplinary artist working predominantly in sculpture and site specific installation, as well as expressive landscape painting. Graduating from The Glasgow School of Art in 2021, his practice evokes feelings of nature connectedness, raising awareness of often disregarded parts of ecologies and cultures. Ferguson’s Gàidhlig language and heritage is crucial, as a connection to the land and people of the Hebrides.
Visit Na Raiders: ‘Eilean Mòr aig aon duine is sinne gun fheannag’ in Gallery 1, free to view from 4th October – 24th December, Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm. If you would like to support our continued programming and enable us to keep offering free events, please consider making a donation to Taigh Chearsabhagh.