This commissioned article attempts to critically reflect upon the 2018 GI festival, identifying key curatorial themes in relation to broader shifts in contemporary art, discussing how these ideas and concerns have been manifested in the exhibitions and events through short reviews of specific exhibitions within GI which exemplify these points, including Duggie Fields at the Modern Institute, Nadia Myre at The Briggait (for Mother Tongue), Tai Shani at Tramway, Lubaina Himid at Tramway, Linder at GWL, Janie Nicholl and Ailie Rutherford's In Kind and Mick Peter and the Young Regenerators in Dalmarnock.