The Digital Mirror by Wendy McMurdo at National Galleries Scotland

The exhibition traces two decades of Wendy McMurdo's pioneering work exploring childhood, digital technology, learning, and imagination through photography.

Overview

The Digital Mirror is Wendy McMurdo's largest exhibition to date, bringing together works from the past twenty years alongside a newly configured moving-image installation. A pioneer in the experimental use of digital photography, McMurdo has explored the relationship between children and technology, from the early introduction of computers in schools to the rise of the internet and networked gaming.

The exhibition examines how digital technologies have shaped childhood, learning, and play, while also reflecting on the ways we access knowledge and culture. Alongside McMurdo's photographs, visitors encounter objects selected from museum collections, including early twentieth-century toys, an Eduardo Paolozzi sculpture, and Henry Raeburn's The Skating Minister, revealing the artistic and cultural references that have informed her practice. Presented during the bicentenary year of the Royal Scottish Academy, the exhibition also celebrates McMurdo as the first woman photographer elected to the Academy.

About The Artist

Wendy McMurdo is a Scottish photographer who began her artistic career as a painter before studying at the Pratt Institute in New York, where she turned to photography. After completing an MA at Goldsmiths, University of London, she became one of the earliest artists to incorporate digital technologies into photographic practice. Over the past three decades, her work has explored childhood, education, museums, and the impact of digital media on perception and learning. Her work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including ZKM Karlsruhe, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Compton Verney, and The Photographers' Gallery in London.