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
Soft Power: lives told through textile art
17 May – 10 August 2025
The exhibition Soft Power – lives told through textile art highlights how cloth can play a unique role in telling our stories and is used to communicate life’s journey. As something we encounter daily, cloth creates an immediate connection between the artist and the viewer, making these stories feel familiar and relatable.
The artworks focus on storytelling. They bring to light personal and collective experiences, from the autobiographical and hidden struggles of marginalised individuals to stories shaped by major events like the pandemic.
The works share intimate and emotional portrayals of self-expression while making bold statements about empowerment and change. They highlight how cloth can connect women across cultures, recording and reflecting their experiences.
The exhibition is curated by internationally-renowned textile art pioneer, Professor Alice Kettle, with curator of international textiles Professor Lesley Millar MBE.
Skin Deep
8 July – 31 August 2025 – Kenny Gallery, free entry
Six female artists explore the body as storyteller in Skin Deep, an exhibition of fierce and complex works by RWA Academicians in the Kenny Gallery, curated by Wendy Elia RWA.
Featuring artworks by Eileen Cooper RA RWA (Hon) OBE, Valda Jackson MBE RWA, Charmaine Watkiss RWA, Adelaide Damoah RWA FRSA, Jessa Fairbrother RWA, Wendy Elia RWA.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Compiled by Sue Quirk and Laurel Smart
1) BECCA LUGER & RAE HADLEY: EPHEMERAL LANDSCAPES
4 – 13 JULY, HOURS SPACE, BRISTOL
‘Ephemeral Landscapes’ is a new exhibition showcasing the work of photographers Becca Luger and Rae Hadley. Their images draw from Documentary and Fine Art photography roots, inviting you to explore the beauty and fragility of our ever changing natural landscape. A celebration of nature in all of its forms, capturing those magical, often fleeting moments of seasonal change, growth, decay and re-birth. This exhibition offers an immersive and tactile environment within which to explore how we each see, feel and engage with the natural world around us.
Launch Friday 4th July 6 – 9pm. Open Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th 11 – 5pm. Then by arrangement until July 13th. Free
2) BIRD: GROUP EXHIBITION
4 – 20 JULY, TRYMWOOD STUDIOS, BRISTOL
BIRD is a summer celebration of busy beaks, beady eyes and fabulous feathers and feet. The Trymwood studio gallery will be packed with beautiful work by artists from around the UK who delight in observing birdlife in its complexity and variation. Birds from our back gardens, woodland, coast and wetland will feature in painting, print, drawing and sculpture.
Some of the artists featuring in BIRD: Greg Poole, Nik Pollard, Kittie Jones, Kim Atkinson, Andrew Haslen, Robert Greenhalf.
3) STRANGE MAGIC: GROUP SHOW
5 -25 JULY, ANDELLI ARTS, WELLS, SOMERSET
Strange Magic is inspired by ‘The Power of Myth’ by Joseph Campbell which touches on the function of artists as mythmakers and communicators of experiences. This mythmaking and the intimate expressions of artist’s individuality are subjects that have motivated artist Leslie Glenn Damhus to curate Strange Magic, an exhibition which weaves together the spellbinding works of 15 contemporary artists and storytellers. Andelli Art and Glenn Damhus are drawing together artists whose work encapsulates Campbell’s philosophy and who share a common language in their approach and methodology. Strange Magic promises to take the viewer on a voyage of wondrous and prodigious works that are captivating, playful and steeped in magical enchantment. Exhibiting artists: Malcolm Ashman, Beth Carter, Dorcas Casey, Leslie Glenn Damhus, Joseph Dilnot, Helen Flockhart, Derrick Guild, Marie-Claire Hamon, Angela Lizon, Pinkie Maclure, Ian Middleton, Morwenna Morrison, Kim L Pace, Hamish Young, Pippa Young.
4) WAYS OF SEEING: MIXED EXHIBITION
11- 16 JULY, CENTRESPACE STUDIOS & GALLERY, BRISTOL
“We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.” — John Berger.
An exhibition run by illustrators Laurel Molly and Lucy Thomas. The culmination of these illustrations in this exhibition is to showcase the inspiration they have drawn from daily life around the world. They would like to invite you to spend time with their work and subsequently draw your own conclusions from it. They will also be taking the opportunity to exhibit additional artists’ works. These artists all display their own individual ways of seeing. Artists include Laurel Molly, Lucy Thomas, Jess Knights, Amber Bardell, Matt Booker, Lucy Grepne.
Private View 11th July, 7 pm – 10 pm
5) JOHN EAVES: OFFBEAT
UNTIL 12 JULY, CHIPPENHAM MUSEUM, WILTSHIRE
An exhibition of paintings, drawings and collages by John Eaves RWA, now in his 90s. This selection of work has been curated by Nick Moore from John’s studio to represent the breadth and continuity of themes and materials across fifty years. John prefers to refer to his paintings as non-figurative rather than abstract, as they are rooted in the inherent geometry of the landscape. Always an improviser, not a planner or geometrician, he is open to the unexpected in the painting process. Having lived in Bath for most of his life, he sees it as ‘a city of huge rhythms – it’s practically musical – if you think of the terraces, they are like staves of music the way they loop around with criss-cross rhythms and zigzags going up the hills…’
6) BEAUTIFUL, SWIFT AND BRIGHT: GROUP EXHIBITION
UNTIL 13 JULY, SLADERS YARD, BRIDPORT, DORSET
Paintings by Louise Balaam NEAC RWA, Nick Jones and James Lynch; ceramics by Gabriele Koch; furniture by Petter Southall. A glorious celebration of the English rural landscape by five artists.
Louise Balaam NEAC RWA paints with expressive gestural brushstrokes in natural, sumptuously applied colours. Her work conveys the intense feeling of being out in the landscape, in the wind and the sun.
Nick Jones paints in acrylic on canvas and makes silkscreen prints in spare abstracted poetic works. Over the years, Nick’s landscapes have simplified into increasingly pure celebrations of colour and light.
James Lynch’s paintings capture the breathtaking beauty of the West Country where glowing shafts of sunlight shine between clouds onto rolling fields and trees. James’s restrained palette and the combination of delicacy and strength in his painting, reveal a unique affinity with the natural world.
Gabriele Koch’s search has always been for simplicity, restraint and beauty in her ceramics. Recently she has been exploring new surfaces, making scored, ridged moon-scape textures in heavy black clay overlaid with various slips including porcelain.
Petter Southall responds to superb natural timber in furniture designs that combine an exciting fluidity of line with tactile textures and physical strength. Always original and surprising in his understated and brilliantly judged detailing, Petter’s pieces take your breath away.
7) LAUREL SMART: COLOUR CONTEMPLATIONS
UNTIL 20 JULY, TETBURY GOODS SHED ARTS CENTRE, GLOS
Laurel’s signature, large abstract paintings are primarily an exploration of colour and mark making. They are often energetic and evocative, creating resonances which are personal and individual to the observer. They invite you to take your time to discover your own, person response.
Laurel’s canvases are non-representational. She works intuitively; her paintings evolve and develop their own character. She builds layers of paint with colour and marks which begin to speak to her and make demands of her. She will rarely know where this will take her and it can be many months before a painting is resolved.
There is an intensity about her compositions. Busy, crowded surfaces take your eye on a journey of discovery. Her paintings reveal themselves as you explore them. They are forever evolving, always offering up new interpretations..
The exhibition opening times are 10-4pm Wednesdays through Sundays.
8) WIDDERSHINS 3: GROUP SHOW
UNTIL 30 AUGUST, GREEN HILL ARTS, MORETONHAMPSTEAD, DEVON
An extraordinary gathering of renowned mythical and fantasy artists whose works evoke the mystery of Dartmoor. Dartmoor is a place rich in history, folklore, and legend. Home to a vibrant community of artists, Dartmoor has long been a source of creative energy, and this exhibition explores how its wild, rugged beauty and ancient history shape the imaginations of those who live here or have strong connections to this enchanting land. This exhibition explores Dartmoor’s timeless role as a place of magic, where boundaries between the mundane and the mystical blur. From the sweeping moors and ancient stone circles to the hidden creatures and spirits said to roam its hills, Dartmoor provides a perfect backdrop for stories of the fantastical and the otherworldly. This year’s exhibition promises a diverse array of artistic responses including painting, photography, sculpture, costume, and illustration.
Walking “Widdershins” (counterclockwise) is the traditional way to enter the realm of myth and enchantment, and we invite you to do just that – come and experience the magic of Dartmoor through the eyes of its artists. Immerse yourself in the creative journey that celebrates both the wild beauty of the moor and the rich folklore that has been passed down through generations.
Participating artists are as follows: Danielle Barlow, Angharad Barlow, Hazel Brown, Jim Crawley and Natalie Simpson, Diane Coutes and Andrew Sinclair, Wendy and Brian Froud, Toby Froud, Armorel Hamilton, Marja Lee Krujit, Alan Lee, Pauline Lee, Virginia Lee, Claire Shauna Saunders, Rima Staines, Terri Windling, and David Wyatt.
9) COMMON GROUND: MIXED EXHIBITION
UNTIL 31 AUGUST, THE WILSON, CHELTENHAM, GLOS
Curated by painter and folklorist Ben Edge, Common Ground invites visitors to explore stories of change, loss, rebellion, and reclamation in relation to common land and the natural environment, from Cheltenham and the Cotswolds.
Over centuries, access to common land has dramatically diminished. The Enclosure Acts of the 1750s mark the beginning of a disconnection from the natural world that surrounds us. At one time nearly half of the land in Britain was deemed Common Land, but today it accounts for only three per cent of England. As concerns over the climate emergency intensify, it has become critical to reconsider how we access, connect with, and care for the common land that surrounds our villages, towns, and cities.
Common Ground brings together objects from across The Wilson’s collections which share local histories and explore how changing values and beliefs, and developments in industry, technology and farming have affected the land. Woven into the narrative are those acts of defiance which have continually challenged laws around land use and access throughout history.
A series of works by contemporary artists, including new commissions and large-scale installations explore climate concerns, sustainability, migration, post-colonial narratives and place making, and engage with practices of reconnecting with and protecting our environment. Reflecting a range of experiences, processes and materials, exhibiting artists include Richard C. Blomfield, Richard Long, Dan Hillier, Billy Dosanjh, Claire Partington, Rhian Harris Mussi, David Harrison, Tim Shaw, Leah Gordon, Nick Hayes, Max Reeves, Adelaide Damoah, Hew Locke, Chris Dury, Stuart Pearson Wright, Boss Morris and Thistle by Nature.
10) ALICE LADENBURG: LIFESCAPE
UNTIL 31 AUGUST, EAST QUAY GALLERY, WATCHET, SOMERSET
The environmental crisis calls for a closer connection to nature and our local landscapes. Studies show that increased awareness of the natural world fosters greater ecological stewardship. In Lifescape, artist and researcher Alice Ladenburg explores our entanglement with nature, blending scientific methods with artistic practice to invite deeper understanding of shared landscapes and more sustainable futures.
Commissioned by East Quay, Lifescape focuses on six ecologically, culturally, and historically significant sites across Somerset, showcasing the region’s diverse terrain. Ladenburg combines advanced LiDAR scanning—used to create 3D models of landscapes—with filmed scenes and a soundscape featuring a range of insights from local experts. This interplay between scientific imaging and delicate close-up footage, audio recordings and interviews, highlights the colour and texture of the local landscape, and offers a striking journey through the overlooked details of Somerset’s environment.
Through Lifescape, Ladenburg invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with the more-than-human world. Merging storytelling, technology, and scientific insight, the installation expands our awareness of Somerset’s rare and beautiful environments and the cyclical relationship between human habitation and natural succession.
11) ALICE FOX: FLAXEN
UNTIL 31 AUGUST, KESTLE BARTON, HELSTON, CORNWALL
The environmental crisis calls for a closer connection to nature and our local landscapes. Studies show that increased awareness of the natural world fosters greater ecological stewardship. Sustainability is at the heart of Alice Fox’s practice. The desire to take an ethical approach has driven a shift from using conventional art and textile materials into exploring found objects, gathered materials and natural processes. Flaxen is an exhibition that showcases the artwork Alice has made with materials collected and grown at Kestle Barton over the last two years.
During the growing season of 2024, a crop of flax (Linum usitatissimum) was grown in the almost enclosed circle at the end of the meadow at Kestle Barton. This was a communal activity, overseen by Alice, with help from Kestle Barton staff and a changing team of volunteers. Sowing, tending, harvesting, retting, and processing were undertaken, resulting in fibres for spinning, as well as flax plants dried at different stages for use later on.
Alice visited Kestle Barton in each season, spending time in residence. Each visit added to Alice’s experience and understanding of the place and the materials available for weaving and construction of surfaces and structures. Alice gathered materials in each season to make sculpture with; and made botanical inks during each visit as well, building up a place-based colour chart and a library of materials with which to work.
LAST CHANCE TO SEE
UNTIL 5 JULY: EMMA STIBBON RA: MELTING ICE | RISING TIDES Emma Stibbon considers how the warming environment of the polar regions is impacting on the changing UK coastline.
BURTON AT BIDEFORD, DEVON https://www.burtonartgallery.co.uk/exhibitions-activities/emma-stibbon-melting-ice-rising-tides/?portfolioCats=12
WATCH OUT FOR
- JANE HARRIS: THE FUGITIVES 5 JULY – 2 AUGUST A solo exhibition celebrating the acclaimed artist Jane Harris (1956–2022). CLOSE LTD, HATCH BEAUCHAMP, SOMERSET https://www.closeltd.com/exhibitions/41-the-fugitives-jane-harris/
- BLOOM: GROUP SHOW UNTIL 30 JULY Featuring new works by Trish Buckingham, Kirsten Elswood, Jo Faulkner, Helen Manning Clark, Jurgi Moor, Jan Munro, Alison Rose and other gallery artists THE ENGLISH ARTIST, TIVERTON, DEVON https://www.theenglishartist.com/
The Floating Circle 