Margaret Mitchell: Six Works

Margaret Mitchell was born in Stirling and grew up in Plean and Dunblane within a large working-class family. Her sister Andrea’s children grew up in the Raploch in Stirling and Mitchell documented their lives across three bodies of work from childhood to adulthood.

This series of six works, acquired by the University’s Art Collection in 2023, focus on Mitchell's nephew Steven, offering an insight into his life’s trajectory. These images follow Steven from a childhood in the Raploch (Family, 1994) to his adult life in St Ninians (In This Place 2015-2017), to an image of him back in his childhood locale (Into Absence, 2017-2020), visiting a sister who was staying in temporary accommodation on the same street the children had grown up on.

Across the three bodies of work, Mitchell reflects on both personal and political questions, asking the viewer to consider the nature of disadvantage and privilege in a history covering class, opportunity and inequality. For Mitchell, the personal narrative of Steven’s path in life reflects a universal issue; whilst this is a personal journey of one boy into man, versions of this story and situation are repeated across countless individuals and societies.

“I want the viewer to ask themselves a question about how society operates, how choice is related to opportunity and environment. To see that sometimes people choose what they do because really, not much has been offered in the first place.”

The Stirling Photography Festival is delighted to welcome Margaret to Stirling again this year in partnership with the Department of Culture, Media and Communications and the Art Collection at the University of Stirling.

Margaret will lead a talk exploring her practice and approach as well as offering us a first look at her work in the university collection.

The event his FREE but bookable through Eventbrite.

Margaret Mitchell: Six Works will be on display in Pathfoot Gallery Two from the 26 September 2024- 8 August 2025.