The best art exhibitions coming up in Bristol and the west country – 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
Dance Out
Until 09 August 2026
Dance Out is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and film that celebrates dance as an everyday human activity, both solitary and social. The RWA itself will shape-shift during the exhibition, with the main daylit galleries hosting a series of dance and dance-related events.
Curated by David Remfry RA and art historian James Russell, ‘Dance Out’ brings together paintings, drawings and film across decades of dance culture – from 20th century London and New York to Bristol’s contemporary nightlife.
(image above ©Khali Ackford @Kolabstudios-55)
Folly
Until 30 August 2026, Kenny Gallery
Featuring Peter Burke RWA, Judith Jones RWA, Jemma Gunning RWA RE and Karl Singporewala RWA RIBA.
CLIFTON ARTS 120TH CELEBRATION
Three parallel art events celebrate the 120 year history of Clifton Arts. Clifton Arts was established in 1906 as a vibrant community for painters, musicians, and actors.120 years later, Clifton Arts’ 250 members continue the tradition of annual exhibitions, marking this milestone with three free events:
- The Club’s Heritage featuring “art then!” July 3-August 3 The RWA, will exhibit artworks by former Clifton Arts members from its extensive archive. In collaboration with the RWA’s outreach programme, this will be curated by neuro-diverse students from the city.
- Contemporary Members’ works “art now!” July 8-July 18‘art now!’, showcases the work of current club members in the Sanctuary of Victoria Methodist Church, adjacent to the RWA, offering the public the opportunity to compare and contrast the club’s artistic legacy and its present-day creativity. Musical events feature every day.
- The 2026 Clifton Arts Fair in the Undercroft of the Church, also from July 8-18, the Clifton Arts Fair features paintings, ceramics, prints for sale as you walk through a history of art over those 120 years. There are art demos, and a public work of art to join in with.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Compiled by Sue Quirk and Laurel Smart
1) LUCY LAWRENCE & AMY VANS: LAYERING
10-15 JULY, CENTRESPACE, BRISTOL
‘LAYERING’ is a joint exhibition featuring works by Lucy Lawrence and Amy Vans. Both artists experiment with their materials, creating layers either through the application of paint and colour or the mixing of techniques such as print with sculpture and drawings.
Lucy Lawrence is displaying work that has been inspired by everyday household objects and routines. She particularly focuses on observations of her daughter recreating domestic rituals through play. She works with many different printmaking methods, combining them with sculpture and pen drawings. By building up layers, she explores and records how people interact with the things they use and care for.
Amy Vans’ vibrant abstract paintings in acrylic emerge from an intuitive and expressive process. Working spontaneously across multiple canvases, she allows each piece to evolve organically, later forming themed collections that share a distinctive visual language.
Rich textures, layered colour, and bold contrasts define the work, while recent paintings introduce a quieter, more contemplative sensibility, inviting reflection and emotional connection.
2) ROBERT GREENHALF: BIRDS AND LIGHT
UNTIL 12 JULY, TRYMWOOD STUDIOS, BRISTOL
Paintings and original prints by Trymwood Studios Art Prize Winner Robert Greenhalf SWLA.
3) SHARING AFRICA
UNTIL 25 JULY: BRIDGWATER ARTS, SOMERSET
The Sharing Africa exhibition intends to host 5 Nigerian artists, showcasing multidisciplinary work at the historic Bridgwater Arts Centre. Selected works will highlight Nigeria’s evolving narratives — innovation, identity, and global influence. Sharing Africa is all about sharing and celebrating African art on our own terms while supporting artists of African heritage. Meet the artists behind the works on the 4th of July 4pm -6pm, All welcome.
4) BLOOM II: MIXED MEDIA SHOW
UNTIL 31 JULY: THE ENGLISH ARTIST, TIVERTON, DEVON
Featuring new work from over 25 artists including: Trish Buckingham, Bob Crooks, Kirsten Elswood, Chris Hawkins, Claire Lucas, Katy Mackenzie, Jan Munro, Alison Rose, Helaina Sharpley, Michael Taylor etc.
5) GORDON CHEUNG: MANY WORLDS, ONE MIND
UNTIL 15 AUGUST, CLOSE GALLERY, HATCH BEAUCHAMP, SOMERSET
Growing up between the traditions of East and West, Cheung developed a visual language that moves fluidly between classical art history and contemporary technological innovation. His work carries the influence of Chinese philosophy and aesthetics, while simultaneously engaging with the long arc of European painting, global economics and the forces that shape modern civilisation.
At the centre of Cheung’s work lies an expansive curiosity about systems and the invisible structures that govern belief, value and power. His research frequently turns to the origins of global trade and the early formations of modern capitalism, including the speculative markets of seventeenth-century Holland and the famous tulip mania often cited as the first financial bubble. These historical moments resonate strongly with our own era of accelerated global markets and digital economies.
6) MICK MASLEN: URBAN PHOTOGRAPHY
UNTIL 29 AUGUST, YOUNG GALLERY, SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE
The Young Gallery’s permanent collection contains more than 200 photographs by Mick Maslen (1946-2018), many of which explore textured surfaces and document his travels. This exhibition showcases some of the urban scenes Maslen captured both in the UK and abroad, showing his interest in texture, form, and composition.
7) KEN SMITH: WHERE SILENCE SPEAKS
UNTIL 31 AUGUST, DAVID SIMON CONTEMPORARY, CASTLE CARY, SOMERSET
Ken Smith, born in 1944, is an established sculptor, working in in stone and bronze. His work was critically acknowledged from a young age by academics and writers, including Henry Moore. Ken Smith’s work has been exhibited in London, across England and Spain. In this exhibition, a range of works examine aspects of human emotion drawn from a lifetime of connections made from his travels and experiences.
8) NORMAN ACKROYD:THE TRANSIENCE OF LIGHT
UNTIL 6 SEPTEMBER, VICTORIA GALLERY, BATH
‘The Transience of Light’. Spanning five decades of practice, this exhibition brings together Ackroyd’s spectacular etchings from the 1980s onwards, with a focus on how he portrayed natural light with exceptional finesse. From subtle refracted rainbows in early works, to dramatic contrasts, hazy skies and glimmering vistas, his ability to capture the atmosphere of a place in print was unparalleled. The show has been curated with Ackroyd’s studio manager and family, who have contributed their unique insight to his remarkable life and work.
9) SARAH GILLESPIE: BIRD AND EYED
UNTIL 6 SEPTEMBER, KESTLE BARTON, HELSTON, CORNWALL
“The woods are dark now, birded and eyed.” Kestle Barton presents a second solo exhibition by Sarah Gillespie, bringing together new works in mezzotint and drawing. The exhibition takes its title from a line by the American poet Jane Hirshfield, reflecting Gillespie’s ongoing attention to the animate, watchful presence of the natural world.
Developed through sustained observation of the woods, meadows and nightlife around both Kestle Barton and the artist’s home in Devon, these works continue Gillespie’s distinctive exploration of moths and other small, often overlooked, inhabitants of these environments. Her practice is rooted in close looking — an attentiveness to fragility, pattern and transformation — where the act of drawing becomes a way of registering both physical detail and a more elusive sense of encounter.
Alongside Hirshfield’s words, the exhibition is informed by a line from Heraclitus — ‘nature likes to be hid’. Gillespie’s sustained engagement with camouflage and patterning reflects both the evolutionary intelligence of her subjects and the difficulty of fully apprehending them. These works suggest a world in which what is most vital often remains partially concealed, held in a state of quiet resistance to being seen.
In bringing these works together, Birded and Eyed reflects on the idea of being both observer and observed — a shifting relationship between human and non-human worlds, held in a state of quiet attention.
WATCH OUT FOR
SPIKE PRINT 25-26 JULY 11-5PM. SPIKE PRINT FAIR in partnership with the UWE Bristol
School of Arts and Centre for Print Research (CFPR). SPIKE ISLAND, BRISTOL
The Floating Circle 