The Mallaig Pier Portraits

An exhibition of portraits by Rob Fairley

Since first discovering Mallaig as a young boy, Rob Fairley has been captivated by the village. His work captures the daily lives of the fishing community, workers, and residents, illustrating their routines. Throughout his professional career, he has sketched the people of Mallaig. With the rise of social media, Rob began sharing some of his portraits of Mallaig, both old and new, on Instagram. The positive response he received inspired the idea for the Mallaig Portraits exhibition.

We encourage you to discover the character of Mallaig through these portraits.

About the artist

Rob Fairley, born in 1953 and educated at Edinburgh College of Art, initially lived in Mallaig before moving to the island of Shona Beag in 1975, where he adopted a lifestyle focused on creating ephemeral land-based art. His work, primarily captured through pinhole camera images, wasn’t exhibited until 2011 at a retrospective by Resipole Studios. In 1979, he settled near Lochailort, where he continues to work.

An experienced mountaineer, Fairley has travelled extensively, particularly to Nepal. His art connects with the land, drawing on themes of landscape, geology, and local stories. In 1994, he helped establish 'Room 13,' a project supporting young artists alongside residents,a studio-based forum where people of all ages can exchange ideas, skills and experience. Originating in Caol Primary school, Fort William, Room 13 has developed into an internationally followed model, with studios all around the world.

In 2019, Fairley published "Prinaka: a day sketching in Dhaka," a personal account illustrated with watercolours, depicting a transformative encounter in Bangladesh. He has also written two books on the Victorian artist and ornithologist Jemima Blackburn.

To learn more about Rob and his work, visit his website and his Instagram account.