Former church turned into an intriguing art venue on the isle of Eigg

by Camille Dressler

On 30 June 2026, the isle of Eigg inhabitants celebrated the opening of their new multi-purpose centre – with a thought- provoking exhibition by Glasgow based Pakistani artist Sana Obaid.

“ From the Heart of a Mother”  was the first art exhibition ever held on the island and the first art event to be held in the former Church of Scotland building after its acquisition by Solas Eige SCIO, a new Eigg charity set up for this purpose on 27 February 2026,  with funds from the Scottish Land Fund.

Solas Eige means “Light of Eigg” in Gaelic, and the idea of Eigg as a source of light already resonates far beyond the island.  Since achieving community ownership in 1997, Eigg had become internationally recognised as a lighthouse island for its pioneering renewable energy system set up in 2008. “ In creating the Solas Eige Centre, says Camille Dressler,  the Scottish member on the ESIN board, and trustee of the new charity, “ our hope was to extend that legacy—to become not only a beacon for environmental sustainability, but also a place where culture, creativity and community illuminate new ways of understanding ourselves and the world around us. It was entirely fitting that Sana’s exhibition should be the first to illuminate this newly transformed space.”

Sana’s exhibition “From the Heart of a Mother” grew organically as she reflected on how to present her work in a space still occupied by the pews and pulpit of a traditional protestant church. “The work has to speak for itself “ she said, and the pews were perfect for placing the prints of a child’s dress, making the absence of the bodies they related to even more poignant, filling the former church with the ghosts of child war victims. The ceramic sculptures were centre stage in front of the pulpit, lying on a heap of grey beach sand as random clothing would be in the rubble of a bombed building in Kiiv, Aleppo or Gaza. A polished printing plate with the imprint of a child’s dress reflected our gaze, silently interrogating us. A dark print pricked with hundreds of holes around the shape of the garment allowed the light shed by the windows to filter through them. A cushion screen-printed with Palestinian embroidery and pierced by a thousand metal pins lay on a black cloth laid on the former communion table, in the stark evocation of a coffin.

The red poppy wreath still there around the plaque commemorating the fallen from WWI was echoed by the red poppy Sana placed on the mounted prints of children’s garments at the back of the building to be contemplated as one turned to leave.

The art show invited contemplative silence as Sana sat with candlelight and incense. Without saying a word, she transformed the atmosphere of the space and invited a different way of engaging with the exhibition. Visitors found themselves lingering, offered a rare opportunity to step outside the rhythm of everyday life, to sit with their thoughts, and to connect with events far beyond our small island. In that shared silence, the exhibition became a place of empathy and witness—a reminder of our common humanity and of the invisible threads that bind our lives to those of others.

An integral part of the exhibition was also for Sana to hold adult and children collagraph printing workshops in the marquee erected by the side of the building. Sana worked equally well with adults and children, and it was remarkable how much concentration the Eigg children were able to hold on to as they produced colourful prints of leaves and plants growing around the building.

The adult workshop started with a group visit: we listened as Sana talked about the divine feminine and her own spiritual practice inspired by her family’s Sufi background. Then through the workshop, we explored how texture and colour can become a language of their own, creating images that speak to us—and sometimes speak for us—when words are not enough. 

“From the Heart of a Mother” marked the very successful beginning of a journey for the Solas Eige Centre. As this former church begins its new life as a community-owned space for culture, learning and reflection, we want it to become a place where art continues to challenge, connect and inspire—where exhibitions invite us to imagine a more compassionate and more just world. 

Every island community should have access to a space for art and inspiration!