Scottish artist Gerard Burns has launched "Mother Glasgow," a portrait series featuring fifteen oil paintings of immigrant women who have made Glasgow their home. Debuting on International Women’s Day, the project showcases a diverse cohort ranging from a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl to an 87-year-old Italian resident, representing various professions including nursing, politics, and the arts. The works are being displayed across digital billboards and will tour prestigious Scottish venues.
This initiative matters because it uses traditional portraiture to humanize the often-politicized subject of immigration. By elevating the stories of individual women through the labor-intensive medium of oil painting, Burns seeks to challenge negative societal perceptions and celebrate the multicultural fabric of modern Scotland. The exhibition's planned tour to the Scottish Parliament and international locations like Shanghai underscores its role as both a cultural tribute and a diplomatic tool for promoting inclusivity.