Langstane Place studios celebrates 20 years at the heart of Aberdeen’s creative community 

 

This Friday 12 September marks the 20th anniversary of Langstane Place studios, a vibrant artist studio complex located in Aberdeen city centre. 

With the support of the Scottish Arts Council Capital Lottery Fund, Aberdeen City Council, and Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Wasps acquired and redeveloped the building in 2005, creating a permanent home for the city’s artists, a first of its kind in Aberdeen. 

A former print works just off Union Street, the building was transformed by Wasps Studios – Scotland’s largest provider of creative spaces – into a vibrant hub for Aberdeen’s artistic community. Today, it holds 32 artist studios and, more recently, a ground-floor gallery that further strengthens its role as a cultural landmark. 

Situated within the Bon Accord–Crown Street Conservation Area, Langstane Place is part of an important early 19th-century development that reflects Aberdeen’s historic growth. The building has a long creative legacy, from corset makers and painters in the 1860s to The Langstane Press, which operated there from 1947 until 1998. Its name derives from the ‘Lang Stane,’ an ancient boundary stone – possibly a remnant of a Bronze Age circle or mile marker—still preserved at the end of the street and recorded on an 18th-century map of Aberdeen 

Wasps Studios’ ability to purchase buildings allows them to hold spaces permanently for artists to feel safe and secure in their workspaces.  

 

Painter Joe Fan, with a studio at Langstane Place since 2005, has said of his tenure: “I’ve been with Wasps since the beginning of time, first at the Station Hotel in Aberdeen, then two other locations before ending up at Langstane Place. It’s the warmest and most civilised studio that I’ve worked in. I spend more time there than at home.”  

 

Keith Byres, painter and the building’s tenant representative for many years, has said of his time at Langstane Place: “I’ve been involved with Wasps in Aberdeen since its inception in the early 1980s. During this time and with affordable space for artists being a premium, we had to rely on short-term lets, which wasn’t an ideal situation. Thankfully, in 2005 we moved into our permanent home at Langstane and this has given me the time, space and opportunity to develop my practice as a painter and the chance to cross paths with so many talented artists.” 

 

To mark the 20-year milestone, Wasps and resident artists have organised a special anniversary exhibition featuring work created within the studios across the years. The show includes paintings, textiles, prints and mixed media, highlighting the diversity and creativity fostered at Langstane Place. 

 

The exhibition will run from 12 September to 3 October, open Thursday–Sunday, 11am–4pm, at Langstane Gallery on the ground floor of the studio building. The artists will be invigilating the show, making it a perfect opportunity for visitors to meet them in person. 

 

As part of the anniversary celebration, Wasps commissioned a new artwork by Langstane Place-based printmaker Jonathan Comerford. Titled Ladders to Success, the piece is on display in the window of Langstane Gallery. It reflects the many paths that artists take in pursuit of creative growth, and the complexities, challenges, and determination that define a career in the arts. 

 

Lorraine Taylor, an artist based at Langstane Place since 2012, shared: “I have been a tenant at Langstane Place for around 15 years, and I feel so lucky to have my studio right in the heart of the city centre. It’s great to be able to have my own space to work in alongside other like-minded artists. We can choose to be alone but know that there’s others there.” 

 

Catriona Platten, a painter who has had a studio at Langstane Place since 2020, said of her experience: “Having a studio within an artist community has been deeply beneficial to my practice. It offers a balance between the private intensity of painting and the shared energy of collective creativity. Being part of a community has also created opportunities for visibility, collaboration and friendship.”