New Billy Gérard Frank exhibition at Paxton House shines a light on the historic transatlantic slave trade through art, community and education

Palimpsest explores the deep, complex ties between Grenada, Scotland, and England, and the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade.

Drawing on Frank’s acclaimed Venice Biennale project (Palimpsest: Tales Spun From Sea And Memories) and new works developed in collaboration with Glasgow Print Studio, the exhibition re-imagines hidden narratives – amplifying voices long overlooked.

He said: “It is truly an honour to have my work exhibited at Paxton House, a site deeply intertwined with the histories of Grenada, Ottobah Cugoano, and my own ancestral ties to Scotland.

“At the heart of this exhibition is education – an opportunity to engage communities, particularly young people, in critically examining these entangled histories.

“I hope to foster reflection, dialogue and the empowerment of new generations to reclaim and re-imagine their histories.”

The exhibition, which will run from May 3 to October 31, is part of a wider programme featuring panels, talks and a cross-cultural educational initiative Bridging Borders, uniting young people from Grenada, Scotland and England.

The programme is delivered in partnership with Descendants Children’s Charity, Grenadian Partners and the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, and will culminate in film screenings and community-led creative works exploring the themes of the exhibition.

This builds on the work of Paxton House’s 2022 project Parallel Lives, Worlds Apart.

Curator Dr Fiona Salvesen Murrell said: “Through on-going collaborations with artists, scholars and community groups, The Paxton Trust seeks to deepen public understanding of how these histories shaped the house, the collections, the region and wider society.”