iota - inspiring people

Artists and public - our mission is to enrich lives through engagement with the arts & creative industries, encouraging creativity in all aspects of life.

iota offers exhibitions, performance, discussions and participation events, art and creativity advice, all tailored to the scope of each project.

Show opening times: TUES-SAT 12-5 and by appointment.

Please contact us to discuss your own project. We work with individuals, community groups and industry to enhance all aspects of life through engagement with the arts.

The following is an excerpt from an interview by 'The Skinny' arts magazine.

iota is not a gallery in the conventional sense - 'iota' presents process and product, education and stimulation directly to the artist and the public, in the West End of Glasgow and elsewhere. iota presents a breadth of art: the experimental, the traditional and the unpresented, at home and abroad. iota is a non profit organisation which promotes artists and engagement with the arts, producing shows and projects across the arts: including visual art, installation, music, poetry, prose and the creative industries. We encourage collaboration between the public, aspiring artists and professional artists. 

Every purchase made through iota helps us to continue.

‘iota’ is a jot or a tiny piece. 'the arts', conversely, encompasses much more, so 'iota' is a tiny piece of a very big picture (pardon the pun).

Our aims are two-fold and bi-directional: to bring art and artists into view and to encourage people to engage with the arts. Everyone benefits.

There are numerous opportunities for recent graduates and established artists, but few for those in-between, so we offer work from right across the field, encouraging cross-generation exchange..

Many people could benefit from access to the arts, but feel remote from it. We bring an array of interesting work directly to the public, as conveniently as any corner-shop brings you milk.

Perhaps unusually for founders of an art gallery, we are graduates of the Mackintosh School of Architecture. When we studied at Glasgow School of Art there was a healthy exchange between the departments, with the language of aspiration was common to all the arts. That was a very productive and stimulating environment which we took into practice, working across the arts throughout our careers: with George Wyllie on his Crystal Ship project; on furniture, stage production and curating exhibitions in Milan; on modern and historic buildings (large and small); furniture and minutely detailed interiors in the U.K and abroad. We began Unlimited Studios to develop cross-sector interaction and iota is the natural extension of that, presenting the resulting work to the public.

We hold a range of work by 'iota artists' - original paintings, sculptures, prints or limited editions, products and sometimes music & literature too. We can discuss what you like and advise according to your budget. We can source pieces or commission work, for private or commercial needs.

Collaboration at Unlimited Studios brings a wealth of national and international connections. It is important to us to show a range of different artists and media, work by professionals as well as work by people who have not had formal training. Sometimes that means taking risks, but it also provokes interesting discussion.

Ultimately we present work that inspires in some way, demonstrating strength in idea and execution.

We started by curating a show of phenomenal work by Rita McGurn, now we represent a range of impressive artists: Laura A. Hunter, Scottish painter; Clara Brasca, Italian painter; Brian Chambers, Scottish landscape painter, and more. Choosing a favourite - from work shown to date or the shows coming up- would be truly impossible (although everyone seems to love the larger-than-life crocheted sculptures by Rita McGurn in her 'Off the Hook' exhibition).  Stunning - 'Landscapes and Diversions' by Brian Chambers; intriguing- the installation 'MADamE B.' and other works by Carmel O'Brien. Then there's the Casinista 'The Unbreakables' original show... Christmas covered! On a serious note, at the Mitchell Library iota curated 'WITNESS' by Robert McNeil, M.B.E, addressing the repercussions of war.

iota makes a range of work financially accessible, through payment of a deposit and balance instalments over a reasonable period of time, allowing people to enjoy a bigger investment in art than might otherwise be possible.