You’ve Got Mail: Postal Exchange Brings Artist Collaborations to Leith

A new exhibition at Leith Makers brings together twenty-four artists who have been swapping materials through the post, turning surprise parcels into collaborative works.

Postmarked Creativity

This October, Leith Makers will present an exhibition with a simple but playful premise: make art with whatever comes through the post. The Postal Exchange, running from 15 to 26 October, is the result of a months-long experiment in which twenty-four artists were paired at random and asked to exchange materials by mail.

Participants never knew quite what would arrive: magazines, photographs, scraps of paper, fragments of fabric. They responded in kind, building new pieces from these unexpected deliveries. The process aimed to disrupt habits and open up fresh approaches. Visitors can expect to see collage, photography, photomontage, cyanotype and mixed media on the gallery walls.

A Community of Artists

The project brings together a wide mix of artists, from established practitioners to those at earlier stages of their careers. The list includes Graham Williams, Louise McLachlan, Michaela Madziova, Holly Macdonald, Emma Macleod, Greag Mac a’ tSaoir, Cordelia Johnstone, Charlotte Buckley, Sarah Davidson (Ghost Bros Photo Co.), Rossella Petta, Christina Wytko, Laura Garrudo, Chloe McDowall, Emma Corcoran, Beth Primrose, Francesca Flynn, Jenna Baer, Valerie Reid, Nina Olshan, Miriam Morris, Hannah Dove, Pirko Edes, Anna McLuckie and Laura Meek.

Each has selected one piece from their postal exchange to display, offering audiences a glimpse of what these collaborative correspondences have produced. The variety of practices promises a diverse exhibition, with contrasts between photography, collage and experimental mixed media.

A Shared Experiment

For Christina Wytko, the exchange offered a welcome push into unfamiliar territory. “The Postal Exchange project has been such a great creative exercise, and I’m eager to see what my fellow artists have created—especially my postal partner, with whom I shared many pages from my late grandfather’s 1960s LIFE magazines,” she said. “Using materials I’m not usually drawn to is sometimes daunting, but I’ve found peace in going with the flow and removing the self-imposed pressure to stay within my usual style.”

Curator and participant Miriam Morris spoke of the project’s dual character, at once contemplative and surprising. “Selecting materials for another artist was challenging but equally meditative, and it was exciting to see what ‘goodies’ I would receive in return,” she said. “At the heart of this project was a goal to enable opportunities for creative fun, collaboration, and connecting the artistic community.”

Beyond the Frames

The exhibition also invites audiences to play their part. A “living collage wall” will evolve throughout its run, with visitors adding scraps and cuttings to a communal canvas. A commemorative zine will capture the process and its outcomes, extending the project beyond the gallery.

For Leith Makers, the collaboration reflects its ethos. “The concept of this project perfectly aligns with what Leith Makers is all about, supporting local artists and providing space for collective collaboration,” a spokesperson said. “We can’t wait to showcase this work and see the public engage with the exhibition.”

Leith in Context

Since its opening in 2021, Leith Makers has established itself as a home for both fine art and community-led projects. Alongside its exhibitions, it hosts workshops and stocks work from over forty local makers. The venue has become part of a wider creative fabric in Leith, where initiatives such as LeithLate, the Drill Hall and various studio collectives contribute to a lively artistic scene.

In that context, The Postal Exchange looks set to continue the area’s tradition of experimentation and collaboration. By foregrounding process as much as outcome, it points towards new ways of thinking about group exhibitions, where the exchanges behind the work are as central as the finished pieces on display.

Anticipating the Conversation

What visitors will find in October is less a themed group show than a record of dialogues. Each piece reflects what arrived in the post and how it was reimagined. Some artists have worked with materials that carry personal history, while others encountered colours and textures they might never have chosen for themselves.

The project promises variety and surprise. Whether the results are bold departures or subtle shifts, The Postal Exchange highlights the potential of collaboration at its most elemental: sending something out into the world and waiting to see what comes back.

The Postal Exchange runs at Leith Makers from 15 to 26 October.

Exhibition at Leith Makers from 15–26 October. Visit Leith Makers on Instagram.