Deljeem Rai: Cearns
Main Gallery
Exhibition opening: 5pm, Fri 28 August 2026
Exhibition run: 29 August – 10 October 2026
Uprooted from his home, community and wider family in Nepal as a teenager, then transplanted halfway across the world, it was not until Deljeem found himself in the Cearns, a small housing estate in Stornoway, that he rediscovered the sense of community and belonging. There, he and his family were welcomed into a close-knit community where members supported and looked out for one another.
This body of work is born from a twofold desire: firstly, through portraiture and environmental photography, to express the sense of community and belonging he found there; and secondly, to give the people of the community an opportunity to express themselves, their story and their home on their own terms, rather than through the assumptions and expectations of others.
The project offers a view of an island community that challenges traditional ideas of life in the Outer Hebrides, cementing the Cearns community as a vibrant and valid part of island culture.
Deljeem is a Nepali photographer based between Glasgow and his home of the Isle of Lewis. His work has been exhibited throughout the UK and has been awarded the British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain Award for 2022, 2023 and 2025. He was a finalist in the Scottish Portrait Awards in 2023 and his selected work was exhibited throughout Scotland in prestigious galleries such as the Scottish Art Club Edinburgh, Kirkcudbright Gallery in Dumfries and Galloway and The Glasgow Art Club.
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Then and Now
Yasmin Davidson
Cafè Bar Gallery
Exhibition run: 17 August – 2 October 2026
Yasmin is from the Isle of Berneray and studied Fine Art in Dundee. She specialises in oil painting, and over the past five years, has had exhibitions at Taigh Chearsahagh in North Uist. These images depict aspects of traditional life and work that hold a sense of community, still evident today. Through UistFilm’s digitised 8mm archive from the FAODAIL | FOUND Archive Film project, she has compiled old film stills alongside her modern-day life images.
https://www.taigh-chearsabhagh.org/events/then-and-now-yasmin-davidson/
I have worked with Andy on two projects now. I take a lot of inspiration from his project, the Uist Film project. More information about this can be found here https://uistarts.org/duthchas-faodail-home-found/
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HebCelt Art Tent 2026
Mezzanine Gallery
Exhibition run: 16 June – 4 July 2026
At this year’s HebCelt Festival, An Lanntair’s Art Tent invited visitors to celebrate the wildlife of Lewis and Harris through hands-on creativity. Participants of all ages contributed to a giant map of the islands by sculpting plasticine creatures and placing them across the landscape and surrounding seas. Some recreated native wildlife while others imagined mythical beasts and fantastical sea creatures inspired by local folklore and their own imaginations.
Visitors also helped create a series of large illustrated panels by adding colour and intricate patters to animals found on the islands and along their coastline. The results of which can be seen on our Mezzanine Gallery.
The artworks displayed are the result of hundreds of individual contributions celebrating the rich biodiversity stories and creativity of Lewis and Harris through a joyful community collaboration.
