Collective Gallery

The Collective Gallery houses contemporary art, and is quite rightly a supporter of young Scottish talent!
When I first read about this gallery in a copy of Lonely Planet I’d received as a gift, I was quite excited to see that it was an artist-​run establishment; much like Adam Pottery in New Town. Sadly, it isn’t anymore, but it’s grown a lot since it’s conception and now show cases a lot more international art than it initially did.
I reluctant visited, expecting to find blank canvas’ worth a fortune, or someone’s sullied bed being passed of as a masterpiece; I had ignorantly associated contemporary art with my opinion of modern art, which frankly, isn’t kind enough to write on here. I was pleasantly surprised though, and as always I can’t rave enough about the awesomeness of Scottish art. Sure some paintings left me scratching my head, but I’m not that big on art so maybe I need to «conceptualize more» or something ridiculous like that…
The gallery’s on Cockburn street (I’ll never be mature enough to say that without giggling), which is definitely worth a visit itself, as it’s got little gems of unique shops and boutiques. Not to mention the fantastic underground place I got my ear pierced. But that’s another story…

Cockburn Street is boss for stuff like this. Not only does it not feel as white and clean as other galleries, it’s more friendly and approachable and there’s a bigger sense of community.
Collective Gallery isn’t just a gallery, but somewhere that offers real opportunities to budding artists commissioning and aiding some of Scotland’s upcoming talent.
You can see that Collective truly care about people’s perceptions on contemporary art and hold a range of classes so it’s not just a case of «look what they’ve done» — you can get involved.