Scottish artist April Lannigan’s practice exists at the intersection of painting and sculpture, transforming post-industrial landscapes through bold interpretations. Based between Glasgow and Edinburgh in a town rich with industrial heritage, her work explores themes of collapse, renewal, regeneration, land ownership and placemaking within nature.
Lannigan’s creative methodology centers on touch, abstraction and objecthood in landscape. She embraces the vitality of paint as it collapses and transforms—mirroring the dynamic processes occurring within the landscapes that inspire her. This approach creates a direct parallel between the renewal evident in her paintings and the transformations unfolding in her surrounding environment.
For Hidden Door’s 2025 Festival Lannigan presents a site-responsive installation engaging with the paper factory’s architecture and industrial legacy. Using durable paints formulated for metal and stone surfaces, she creates vibrant interventions across walls and floors, allowing the site’s inherent textures to guide the artwork’s development.
Color disrupts and softens the rigidity of the industrial space as Lannigan transforms structural elements into abstract translations of familiarity. As a woman navigating post-industrial landscapes, this has become an act of reclamation that challenges hyper-masculine industrial legacies. The gradual degradation of her work over time mirrors the ephemeral nature of post-industrial spaces.
Find out more at aprill.co.uk and instagram.com/___April____
