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
173 Annual Open Exhibition
12 September 2026 – 3 January 2027
The RWA Annual Exhibition showcases over 500 contemporary works within our historic galleries.
Featuring both emerging talent and established names, spanning painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, architecture, sculpture, and mixed-media installation – It represents some of the most exciting artists working across the UK and beyond today.
(image above: Embracing Imperfection (2026), Hajnal Vegh)
Celebrating Together: RSA/RWA
12 September – 18 October 2026, Kenny Gallery
This exhibition brings together a remarkable collection of works spanning the last 200 years, showcasing the evolution of artistic practice through the eyes of past and present Academicians from both the RSA and the RWA.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Compiled by Sue Quirk and Laurel Smart
1) WELLS ART CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITION
UNTIL 7 NOVEMBER, WELLS CATHEDRAL, WELLS, SOMERSET
England’s smallest city hosts spectacular annual exhibition. Established in 2012, Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) is a volunteer-led art exhibition that provides artists worldwide with the opportunity to showcase their work in the breathtaking setting of Wells Cathedral.
Known as the first Gothic cathedral in England, and often described as “the most poetic of the English cathedrals”, Wells Cathedral welcomes 18,000 visitors each month, offering an inspiring backdrop of pale stone, ethereal light, and soaring architecture.
This year’s exhibition features 100 selected artworks, as well as 4 community art projects that have been sponsored by WAC. Selected artists include Sandra Porter RWA and Lidija Antanasijevic RWA amongst others.
2) BATH SOCIETY OF ARTISTS ANNUAL OPEN EXHIBITION
UNTIL 7 NOVEMBER, VICTORIA ART GALLERY, BATH, NORTH EAST SOMERSET
Well over a century old, the Bath Society of Artists has an enviable record; boasting amongst its members and associates renowned artists including Walter Sickert, John Singer Sargent, Mary Fedden, Howard Hodgkin and David Inshaw.
A celebration of the work of both established artists and emerging talent. With over 400 artworks on display this year, the Society’s Open exhibition is a highlight of Bath’s cultural calendar, with a fantastic mix of paintings, prints and sculptures in the widest variety of styles. Packed with colour, innovation and delight, this exhibition has something for everyone.
This year’s exhibition is delighted to welcome Basil Beattie RA as the Bath Society of Artists’ Invited Artist. Widely recognised as one of Britain’s most influential contemporary painters and printmakers, Beattie emerged as a leading figure in UK Abstract Expressionism and continues to create powerful, expressive works today. Exhibiting artists include Rosalind Robinson RWA , Sandra Porter RWA, and many Friends of the RWA
3) P J CROOK: LITERARY LIONS & OTHER BEASTS
UNTIL 7 NOVEMBER, PARAGON GALLERY, CHELTENHAM, GLOS
A major new exhibition by acclaimed British artist PJ Crook MBE RWA FRSA. Following on from the Byron’s Bear and Menagerie exhibition in 2024, Crook once again draws inspiration from the literary world, with a rich intersection of storytelling, imagination and human experience, this time through the enduring relationship between writers and animals. In this engaging new body of work, animals emerge as both companions and characters, occupying a space between historical reality and literary invention. From Saint Jerome and the faithful lion, he is said to have befriended, to Charles Dickens and his beloved raven, Grip, Crook uncovers fascinating stories that reveal the profound influence animals have had on creative lives.
Rich in narrative, character and curiosity, the exhibition promises an enchanting journey through the worlds of art, literature and the animal kingdom. The artist is a virtuoso in the mischievous art of beguiling our perceptions and expectations. She plays with the notions of painting: not only does she add almost undetectable carved reliefs on the flat canvas, but she then extends them into open boxes – where all the surfaces, both inside and outside, are engaged in the narrative.
PJ confuses our sense of space; the spectator, deceived by the mirror effects, often looks at a scene actually taking place behind him. She plays games with questions of identity; twins are sometimes the same person, likewise, opposing players can be reflections of each other.
4) CELEBRATING NATURE: GROUP EXHIBITION
13 – 29 NOVEMBER, TRYMWOOD STUDIOS, WESTBURY-ON-TRYM, BRISTOL
Celebrating Nature brings together work by 16 artists who capture their delight, concern, and love for the natural world, creating artwork that truly evokes wonder and awe. The galleries will be brimming with sculpture, oil painting, watercolours, graphite drawings and much more!
5) COLIN HIGGINSON: WHAT HOLDS REMAINS
UNTIL 14 NOVEMBER, POUND ARTS, POUND PILL, CORSHAM, WILTSHIRE
Working across sculpture, installation and performance, Colin Higginson explores our physical and emotional relationship with the landscape and the impact we have on our natural environment. Drawing on Archaeology, memory, and processes of material change, What Holds Remains brings together a series of works that imitate natural forms, while questioning ideas of authenticity, permanence, and preservation.
Using materials such as wax, resin, clay, paper, and copper sulphate crystals, Higginson creates objects that resemble stone, bone, or geographical specimens, yet reveal themselves to be something more fragile and mutable. Some works melt, drip, crystallise or slowly transform, reflecting attempts to hold onto fleeting moments and preserve what inevitably changes.
6) OPEN STUDIOS BROCKLEY: GROUP SHOW
26 – 29 NOVEMBER, BARN STUDIOS, ST NICHOLAS WAY, BROCKLEY, NORTH SOMERSET
Four artists: Jan Bond, Emma Housley, Gail Mason and Megan Wakelam are collaborating in a pre-Christmas open studio event at Barn Studios, Brockley in North Somerset. Barn Studios was established in 2023 to provide space for emerging and established artists. Tucked away down a country lane the studios are immersed in rural life. This event is a pre-Christmas celebration of “Taking colour for a dance” Gail Mason; the joy of wild swimming and coastal exploration, inspiring soft and atmospheric seascapes” Megan Wakelam; an exploration of “the relationship between landscape, colour and emotion” Emma Housley and a “calming meditative exploration of colour and tone conveying the ‘secret life of rocks’ and the human experience”.
A range of works for sale to suit most budgets; from pocket sized works to large canvases. Private View: Friday 27 November 5pm until 8pm
Instagram: @barn_studios_
7) NORTH BRISTOL ARTS TRAIL
28-29 NOVEMBER – Various venues
North Bristol Art Trail is 25 years old this year! With 110 artists and over 50 venues across St Andrews, Bishopston, Horfield, Henleaze, Redland and Ashley, there is something to delight everyone. Venues are mostly in artists’ homes or studios with a few larger multi-artist venues.
Artists love to talk about their art, so don’t be shy, they encourage you to ask lots of questions.
Don’t forget to pick up an Art Collectors stamp card at your first venue to join the Prize Draw. Win original art, donated by North Bristol artists.
Find out more about the Prize Draw and all the artists here.
WATCH OUT FOR
- LIU HSING YU AND ANNIE WANG: FAMILY TIMES: BRISTOL PHOTO FESTIVAL UNTIL 11 NOVEMBER. This explores how family relationships are never fixed but continually reshaped by time, memory, care and changing social expectations. CENTRESPACE STUDIOS & GALLERY, BRISTOL https://www.centrespace.org.uk/whats-on/family-times
- JUDE HUTCHEN: LOOKING BACK AT US 27 NOVEMBER – 1 DECEMBER. This exhibition of painting, enamels and collages explores contemporary issues of viewing others – in suffering, risking their lives at sea, crossing borders, waiting for food, running for their lives and ultimately looking back at us. HOURS GALLERY, BRISTOL https://www.hours-space.com/2026/10/01/looking-back-at-us/
- HAIKU EXHIBITION UNTIL 30 NOVEMBER. An online haiku competition organised by Westonbirt, inviting poets from around the world to capture the magic of maples in just a few words. https://www.forestryengland.uk/westonbirt/haiku-exhibition
