Featuring artists Eglė Budvytytė, Helen Cammock, Dorothy Cross, Regina de Miguel, Mikala Dwyer, Nicholas Mangan, Angelica Mesiti, Otobong Nkanga, Katie Paterson, Micol Roubini and Simon Starling

The Recent takes us into a conceptual world of geological, evolutionary, human and environmental time, exploring what art can do to stretch the human imagination, and situate our actions and impact in a deeper, future-oriented timeframe.

The geological ruminations that underpin the exhibition are deeply rooted in Edinburgh – a city punctuated by a dormant volcano – and the place that eighteenth century geologists James Hutton, and later Charles Lyell, developed the theory of deep time that is reflected in many of the artists’ works.

The Recent presents an experience of life on this planet that is deep and complex, and where the impact of our choices goes beyond the short-termism that calcifies our ability to take responsibility. Through the visions, provocations, research and poetics of artists, it connects the emotional anxiety of our present time with the need to stretch the human imagination into a deeper timeframe, to embrace long-termism, and radically shift our human perceptions and priorities.

We encourage all students to come for a visit to the University of Edinburgh's very own contemporary art gallery.