Two years ago, Fruitmarket invited Holly Davey to sift through their archive. As an artist whose work explores the forgotten lives of women within collections, it was inevitable that Davey stumbled across evidence of a historical gender imbalance. A survey exhibition titled Scottish Sculpture ’75 piqued her interest because, of 11 exhibiting sculptors, zero women were included. 

Taking over Fruitmarket’s warehouse, The Unforgetting is the culmination of all that digging. In the centre, an abstract wooden structure resembling a volcano stands tall, casting a felt shadow on the floor in honour of an artist absent from the 1975 show. Davey suggests that Ann Henderson, who likely taught many of the sculptors at Edinburgh College Of Art, was a key influence unacknowledged by the exhibition. 

While the sculptures occupy most space, it’s the soundscape that makes a lasting impression. ‘The voice of the archive’ recites the names of 353 women who have exhibited at Fruitmarket since it opened, with Marina Abramović, Yoko Ono and Louise Bourgeois among them. Tension fills the room when the voice falls silent, indicating the periods in which women were absent from the exhibition line-up.

Dramatically set up like a courtroom, the transcript is laid out on a long, wooden prompt desk, embroiling the reader in curatorial decisions as the art world investigates what is fair representation. Listening out for each name, reflecting on whether you recognise them, or speculating what their exhibitions might have looked like, makes for a satisfying auditory experience that resonates beyond the visual.

Holly Davey: The Unforgetting, Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, until Sunday 17 November.