Art exhibition on the Isle of Harris throughout June 2026
This June, I’m exhibiting alongside Dutch artist Carien Borst at Talla Na Mara on the Isle of Harris. The exhibition is called Shaped by the Sea, and it’s accompanied by a small book of my own poetry and paintings inspired by the Hebridean sea.
Here’s what it’s about, what’s in it, and where to find it.
About the exhibition
Shaped by the Sea is an art exhibition on the Isle of Harris that runs throughout June at Talla Na Mara, Pairc Niseaboist. It brings together painting, photography and poetry exploring the Hebridean coastline, our relationship with the sea and how its proximity, its power, and the experience of being in or beside it shapes our emotional responses and sense of place.
Carien and I make very different work. She paints from a Dutch perspective on the same Hebridean waters; my own work moves between photography, painting and writing. Out two complementary versions of how we are shaped by the sea are on exhibition at the moment. We took the thought and created work in response to that question, both allowing ourselves to interpret the question in relation to how we feel when we are at the coast of the Hebrides, Carien paints with mixed media and I use inks on paper and canvas and write alongside the paintings.
Where: Talla Na Mara, Pairc Niseaboist, Isle of Harris, HS33AE
When: 1st–30th June
Open: Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm
About the book
Shaped by the Sea is a 20-page zine of poetry and original paintings, made specifically to accompany the exhibition. Each spread pairs an image with a poem.
The themes move through colour, immersion, memory, grief and joy. The poetry I wrote in response to being shaped by the sea draws on the joy of motherhood, the loss of my mum, the beauty of the Hebridean sea, being an introvert, discovering surfing and wild swimming, and living with chronic health conditions that the sea, eases. The work is also about mindfulness: learning to slow down, to be present, to take time.
It’s also available as part of two bundles:
- The Sea Collection (£22) — the book plus five art print postcards of original paintings, and a printed poem bookmark
- The Gift Edition (£42) — the book, one art print, five postcards and a linen bookmark, presented in a gift-wrapped box
Carien’s own book, Sea and Soul, is also available at the exhibition
Where to find it
Everything is available at the exhibition itself throughout June and then all work will be available from my gallery afterwards, The Galerie, in Geocrab on the Isle of Harris. The book and bundles can also be ordered through my online shop just now
If you’re planning a visit to Harris this summer, I’d love to see you there.
The Galerie, Geocrab, Isle of Harris, HS33HB margaretsoraya.com