The best art exhibitions coming up in Bristol and the Westcountry – selected by the Friends of the RWA…
Here’s our pick of the best art exhibitions and events happening in and around Bristol and the south west – including a look ahead to upcoming features….
AT THE RWA
Rasheed Araeen: Conscious Forms
25 May – 11 August 24
As part of a triple bill of exhibitions honouring global majority artists, the RWA brings the pioneering work of Rasheed Araeen to Bristol for the first time. An impressive array of Araeen’s bright, abstract sculptures will fill the RWA daylit galleries. More info
Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation
25 May – 11 August 24
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush’s arrival in Britain, Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation is a display of ten portraits, highlighting the experiences of people who have made positive contributions to the United Kingdom. More info
Image top: © Amy Sherald. Photograph: Royal Collection Trust. Edna Henry, 2023.
Valda Jackson: Miss Polly
25 May – 11 August 24
Valda Jackson: Miss Polly, showcases a powerful and evocative installation by esteemed writer and artist Valda Jackson MBE RWA. This thought-provoking exhibition, featuring spoken word, text, sculpture, and painting, delves into the realms of neurological research and the concept of the ‘unfinished brain.’ More info
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Compiled by Sue Quirk and Laurel Smart
1) VICTORIA MARDON: WONDER
4 – 9 JULY, ARTS UNIVERSITY PLYMOUTH, DEVON
Abstract paintings and collages to celebrate summer.
Solo exhibition featuring the final paintings from Victoria’s MA in painting, “Wonder” aims to showcase the essence of wonder in experience and creation. Victoria’s exhibition is only on briefly but is well worth the effort.
In this body of work Victoria’s colourful, dynamic, and metamorphosing patterns examine the concept of modular painting. Here, the artworks are specifically assembled for the exhibition and then dispersed into individual “pieces” afterwards. The series also explores how the repetition of the paintings may challenge the traditional concept of the “original” artwork by shifting focus from the singular to the iterative.
Preview 3 July 4-6 pm
2) HANNAH WOODMAN: WITH A SINGLE STEP
6 JULY – 3 AUGUST, TREMENHEERE SCULPTURE GARDENS, PENZANCE, CORNWALL
Hannah Woodman returns to Tremenheere and brings together a collection of work reflecting the heritage and history of Cornwall’s coast and its communities. Hannah says:
“All journeys start with a single step and this exhibition started with a painting by Henry Scott Tuke called The Missionary Boat of 1894. I was struck by how this work encapsulated the scale of who we are in our surroundings – the scale of the small approaching vessel to the larger ship towering above and in turn the scale of the yawning sea behind them both, further defined by a tiny ship on the horizon.”
“My whole approach to landscape and seascape painting has always been characterised by trying to realise my own sense of scale in my environment. The strange comfort derived from understanding our insignificance among the vastness of nature is a common thread throughout my work, but something always brings me back to the communities that edge these experiences – the fishing coves and sailing ports, the lone lighthouses and the coastal villages on lanes down to the harbour. I wanted to produce an exhibition in homage to all these people and places, so reflective of Cornwall and its history.”
Hannah’s paintings will be exhibited alongside a collection of ceramic pots by Caroline Winn, which will draw on narratives around migration and trade, using salt as a metaphor.
3) DORSET ARTISTS GROUP SHOW
UNTIL 14 JULY, SLADERS YARD, BRIDPORT, DORSET
The main Sea Cliffs exhibition by Vanessa Gardiner is supported by groups of work showcasing some of the other leading artists from Dorset who are represented at Sladers Yard:
Alex Lowery paintings and drawings; Frances Hatch paintings; Julian Bailey etchings with hand-painted gouache; Robin Rae painting; David West painted woodcarving; Fiamma Colonna Montagu ceramic sculpture; Caroline Sharp woven sculpture.
4) GROUP SHOW
UNTIL 27 JULY, DAVID SIMON CONTEMPORARY, CASTLE CARY, SOMERSET
Featuring Ben Lowe, Sarah Manolescue ROI, Lawrence Quigley, Stephen Page.
Ben Lowe has, in this latest collection of paintings, explored three themes relating to loss, acceptance and resolution. The paintings themselves are both the process and a product of his personal experience. First time exhibitor with a focus on painting en plein air, Sarah Manolescue ROI prefers to complete each painting in a single sitting, producing incredibly fresh and direct compositions. Stephen Page also makes his debut at the gallery with simplified forms in bronze. Taking forms from nature, each sculpture is reduced to the minimal and essential line, creating strong and unique pieces.
5) ANGELA KNAPP & KARA CHAMBERS: HANGING BY A THREAD
17 AUGUST – 28 SEPTEMBER, ACEARTS, SOMERTON, SOMERSET
The world continues to change leaving nature struggling to find habitats within and between human spaces. Angela’s work focuses on birds, once common in her lifetime which are now facing drastic declines and an uncertain future. The artwork is inspired by the meticulous records of local bird watcher John McGeoch beginning in the 1940’s. Using paint, fabric, hand and machine stitch the artwork aims to illustrate the beauty of these once common birds and how their lives and future now hang by a thread. Kara also employs hand stitch as a vehicle she states. “As I stitch, I am held by the thread. My creativity is a vessel for all of life’s joys and sorrows. The simple act of hand sewing slows the world, deepening my understanding and appreciation of nature and provides insights into my internal processes.”
6) PATRICK JONES SOLO EXHIBITION
24 AUGUST – 28 SEPTEMBER, PLOUGH ARTS CENTRE, GREAT TORRINGTON, DEVON
“I am and always have been an Abstract Painter. Part of my project is to define what that is. You will notice that my work is continually different. I try not to repeat myself. I am usually obsessed by getting the image to be a complete statement. Colour is my main vehicle, but my process of working on unprimed canvas, into a wet ground, comes from my friend Helen Frankenthaler.” Preview 24 August 2pm
7) RADEV COLLECTION
UNTIL 1 SEPTEMBER, THE WILSON GALLERY, CHELTENHAM, GLOS
An exhibition of world-class painting that tells an extraordinary story of twentieth century art and modern love through the collection of post-war Bulgarian migrant Mattei Radev. Featuring work by iconic artists including Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani, the collection and its history tell stories of friendship, love and creativity amongst some of Britain’s greatest artists and collectors. Mattei Radev fled Bulgaria in 1950, in fear of persecution. After a perilous journey, Mattei settled in London where he made a group of supportive friends who helped him find a career as a picture framer, working with some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. What is now known as The Radev Collection was started by writer Eddy Sackville-West, 5th Baron Sackville, and on his death in 1965 it was left to his friend and former lover, the art dealer Eardley Knollys. Knollys grew the collection and, in turn, left it to Mattei in 1991, who added to the collection himself. Told through the stories of the three collectors and the homes the collection grew around, this exhibition explores a remarkable time queer history and the history of British art.
8) MR DOODLE! MUSEUM MAYHEM
UNTIL 1 SEPTEMBER, HOLBURNE MUSEUM, BATH
The first ever UK museum exhibition of internationally renowned artist and internet sensation, Mr Doodle. Born with an innate passion for doodling, Mr Doodle, also known as Sam Cox, has captivated viewers worldwide with his unique artistic vision. After studying Illustration at the University of West of England (UWE), his prodigious talent, often labelled as ‘Obsessive Compulsive Doodling’, has propelled him to global fame.
Primarily characterised by black ink on a white background, Mr Doodle’s graphic style conjures up a mesmerising world of quirky creatures and anthropomorphic forms, using ink pens and spray paint to weave together what he describes as “graffiti spaghetti”.
The selection of Mr Doodle’s personal sketchbooks will provide the starting point for a show that will fill the gallery and spread across the walls, floor and ceiling of the Holburne Museum, and beyond into the city of Bath.
LAST CHANCE TO SEE
- UNTIL 7 JULY: DECENNIUM This exhibition reflects on a decade of making and showing through the work of over twenty artists. HESTERCOMBE, CHEDDON FITZPAINE, SOMERSET https://www.hestercombe.com/whats-on/art-gallery
WATCH OUT FOR
- • TOM MITCHELL SOLO EXHIBITION 17-31 AUGUST Gillingham artist and printmaker with his first exhibition at the Gugg. GUGGLETON FARM ARTS, STALBRIDGE, DORSET https://www.guggletonfarmarts.com/
- NATIONAL TREASURES: CONSTABLE IN BRISTOL “TRUTH TO NATURE” UNTIL 1 SEPTEMBER The Hay Wain by John Constable is at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on loan from The National Gallery. Constable’s iconic landscape is the centrepiece in a bold exhibition “Truth to Nature,” which features more than 80 artworks and runs across three galleries. BRISTOL MUSEUM & ART GALLERY, BRISTOL https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on/national-treasures-constable-in-bristol-truth-to-nature/
The Floating Circle 