A new exhibition opening in Inverness this week shines a light on the hobbies and passions that shape people’s lives, offering a vivid portrait of the quiet creativity found in homes, clubs and workshops across Scotland.
Come As You Really Are opens at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on 6 December and runs until 4 February, bringing together hundreds of objects that reflect the ways people spend their spare time and the meaning they find in making, modifying, collecting and crafting.
The exhibition is commissioned by Artangel and presented in partnership with thirteen arts organisations across the UK as part of a major touring project that explores hobbies as a window into identity.
First shown in Croydon in 2024, the project has travelled through England, Wales and Northern Ireland and now arrives in the Highlands with a vast and eclectic range of objects chosen for their personal significance and the care invested in them.
Visitors will see handmade cosplay costumes, quilting, zines, embroidery, customised Barbie dolls, surfboards, Star Wars memorabilia, a homemade jet engine and stiletto heeled shoes, all gathered to show the breadth of commitment found in the world of hobbies.
The exhibition also features new work by artist and filmmaker Hetain Patel who presents his own film alongside objects from his personal collection, drawing on his long standing interest in everyday creativity and the stories people tell through the things they make.
Patel’s new film adopts his signature approach of blending high end cinematic style with scenes drawn from ordinary life, placing passions such as wild swimming and handcrafted objects in a visual language more often associated with Hollywood or luxury advertising.
The artist’s own Spider Man costume, handmade as part of his practice, is also displayed alongside many of the pieces submitted by hobbyists from across the UK.
Artist Hetain Patel said:
“There is a vulnerability in sharing something so personal, which often happens in private spaces around the responsibilities of daily life.
“But there is also a tremendous power in sharing collectively, which is at the heart of this project.
“I hope people join us in this celebration of the unstoppable nature of self expression that is demonstrated by our hobbies.”
Mariam Zulfiqar, Director of Artangel, said:
“Hetain Patel’s work has always invited us to reflect on identity as multidimensional and complex.
“For ‘Come As You Really Are’, he extended an invitation to people around the UK, asking them to share the pastimes that form part of their identity.”
Patel, an award winning British Gujarati artist, has long drawn inspiration from his childhood interests including his lifelong passion for Spider Man and his playful approach to making, which led to his 2013 sculpture Fiesta Transformer in which he rebuilt his car as a Transformer robot with the help of his father.
Inverness audiences will have the chance to explore the exhibition with the artist himself during a free tour at 1100 on Saturday 6 December when Patel will discuss the ideas behind the project and the making of his new film.
Throughout December the museum is inviting Highland groups to celebrate their own hobbies by using the Room to Discover as a free meet up space with teas and coffees provided and the opportunity to submit high resolution photographs for a community gallery.
January will see a series of hands on workshops and drop in sessions led by hobbyists from across the region with full details to be announced on the museum’s website.
