Bristol has carved out its niche in the UK as an ‘arty city’. Thanks to a thriving street art scene and some amazing art galleries, there are always awesome art exhibitions in Bristol to see. Not only are you likely to catch both local and international talent, but everything from traditional contemporary sculptures to the world’s best wildlife photographs. You can get your dose of culture with these art exhibitions in Bristol. Will you see ’em at the museum?
1. Truth to Nature, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Truth to Nature, which features more than 80 artworks, examines how artists have seen the land as a place of refuge and hostile to humans over the years. The centrepiece of this exhibition is The Hay Wain by John Constable (on loan from The National Gallery), which was painted at the height of the Industrial Revolution. The exhibition also includes oil sketches by Constable from the Victoria & Albert Museum alongside many rarely seen pieces from the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery’s extensive collection.
You’ll also fund an early landscape from the 1600s by Jacob van Ruisdael; examples from the Bristol School and 19th-century French art; modernist landscapes from the 20th century by Christopher Wood and Ivon Hitchens, as well as a conceptual land piece by Richard Long, and abstract landscape by the St Ives artist Peter Lanyon.
Until September 1, 2024. More info here.
2. Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker, Spike Island
This major exhibition of the late British artist Donald Rodney brings together all of his surviving works. A founding member of the BLK Art Group, Rodney’s work tackles themes of racial identity, Black masculinity and Britain’s colonial past with pinpoint precision. Rodney also suffered from sickle cell throughout his life and his work often reflects this chronic illness – this includes large-scale oil pastels on X-rays and a tiny maquette of a house made from pins and his own skin. Also on display is Autoicon (1997–2000), an interactive digital artwork finalised by his close friends after he died in 1998.
Until September 8, 2024. More info here.
3. Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation, RWA
After opening in Edinburgh and touring London, Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation is in Bristol for the first time. This moving exhibition honours the accomplishments and legacy of the Windrush Generation, those who arrived in Britain on HMT Empire Windrush in June 1948, and the thousands of West Indians who followed. On display are ten portraits of Caribbean-British individuals by ten leading artists, including Sonia Boyce MBE and Amy Sherald.
Part of a triple bill of exhibitions honouring global artists, visitors to RWA can also catch Rasheed Araeen: Conscious Forms and Valda Jackson: Miss Polly.
Until August 11, 2024. More info here.
4. I’m Com’un Home In The Morn’un: Elaine Constantine, Martin Parr Foundation
With I’m Com’un Home In The Morn’un, photographer Elaine Constantine has perfectly captured the northern soul scene of the 1990s. After moving from Manchester to London, photographing nightclubs for The Face magazine, Elaine was asked to take photographs at a night where they played rare American 60s and 70s soul music through the night. She soon became a regular on the scene, travelling across the country to photograph club nights at various venues, from Manchester’s Ritz to London’s 100 Club.
Until September 22, 2024. More info here.
5. Adébayo Bolaji: In Praise of Beauty, Arnolfini
Adébayo Bolaji‘s solo exhibition In Praise of Beauty has taken over the first floor of Arnolfini. This “kaleidoscopic and multidisciplinary world” explores notions of beauty through painting, sculpture, film and writing – and is sure to brighten up these summer days even if the sunshine fails to. Showing alongside is A Notebook on the Voice (2023), a film which Bolaji describes as “a scrapbook, exploring ideas on what it can mean to have a voice, to use it, or to have it used…”
Until September 29. More info here.
6. The Organ Project Exhibition, Bristol Cathedral
Throughout 2024 and 2025, the Bristol Cathedral organ is being restored and refurbished. Every part is being taken apart, cleaned, mended and rebuilt by expert organ builders Harrison & Harrison. In the meantime, a brand new temporary exhibition (located around the scaffolding that surrounds the organ) will let discover how the instrument works, hear from Cathedral musicians and explore a fascinating history that dates back to the 1600s. A Cathedral Music Trail for children and families sits alongside the exhibition, which are both free during visiting hours.
Until the organ is complete in 2025. Find out more here.