Bristol is leading the charge in the return to real-life arts offerings after more than two years of disruption, with three of its major art institutions coming together to deliver a huge bank holiday weekend of art, which they hope will see visitors flocking to the city.
The RWA, Spike Island and Arnolfini have announced a collection of exhibitions and activities that will offer a broad spectrum of arts opportunities for people to enjoy over the early May bank holiday weekend and see the biggest resurgence of art since 2019.
- The RWA, Bristol’s landmark art gallery, will be flinging open its doors for the first time after a nine-month £4.1m transformation – the biggest refurbishment in its 175-year history – that will make it the most accessible art gallery between St Ives and London. It will re-open with a spectacular exhibition four years in the planning. Me, Myself, I: Artists’ Self Portraits, curated by internationally acclaimed and Bristol-based curator, artistic director and writer, Tessa Jackson OBE, provides historical context to today’s selfie culture and features over 80 works of artists from the last 300 years – including Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Sonia Boyce, Antony Gormley, Sir Joshua Reynolds and many more. The Family Activity Space, shop and Kenny Gallery are free entry, with tickets to the main exhibition £8.90, or free for under 21s, students, RWA Friends and Art Pass Holders. The exhibition opens to the public on bank holiday Monday 2 May.
- Spike Island will also be welcoming back visitors with the long-awaited return of its popular Open Studios weekend after a two-year hiatus. This free event gives people the chance to go behind-the-scenes of the former Brooke Bond tea-packing factory and explore the working environments of hundreds of artists, designers and creative businesses based there. Visitors can meet the artists in their studios and see their working practices, enjoy family-friendly activities and browse art works for sale. The weekend also coincides with the final week of their current exhibitions: Pigs and Poison by Candice Lin and Nosferasta by Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer with Oba. The venue is open Sat 30 April & Sun 1 May 11-5pm and Mon 2 May 12-4pm.
- Arnolfini has four exhibitions running over the weekend. Subversive Stories presents a welcome return to Bristol for Paula Rego after almost 40 years and features over 80 prints from across her incredible career. CUEVA DE COPAL is a new and immersive site-specific installation by Donna Huanca, a celebrated and rising star of the international art world. This is her first commission in the South West and sees her interdisciplinary practice focusing upon the human body and our relationship with the world around us. Holding the Baby is an exhibition of new photography by Polly Braden, creating a powerful and moving portrait of the impact of austerity measures on families across the UK. Let the Idea Travel focuses on a new film work by Sam Francis, alongside text pieces and a book created during a residency at UWE Bristol, rooted in her experience of Somerset and the richness of the Land/Environmental Art movement. Presented alongside it will be work by students from Weston College. Arnolfini is open 11am-6pm on Sat 30 April and Sun 1 May and the exhibitions are free entry.
Alison Bevan, director of the RWA, says: “Bristol is renowned for being a city bursting with culture and creativity. The last two years navigating the pandemic have been unbelievably challenging, and we’ve had to work incredibly hard not just in finding new ways of doing things but also for survival. We are hugely excited to be bringing such a wealth of arts experiences to the city, and we can’t wait to open our doors and welcome back all our old friends and welcome new ones. This will also be the first time we reveal the RWA’s magnificent space following our transformation too, and we can’t wait for people to see it.”
Robert Leckie, director of Spike Island, says: “Our Open Studios weekend is an event that is loved by so many people. This is the first time since 2019 that we have been able to hold it because of Covid, so it is going to be a huge moment for our artists as well as our thousands of visitors. It presents a wonderful contrast to the exhibitions on offer at our partner institutions, giving visitors the chance to explore our community of artists alongside the major artists being presented at the RWA and the other contemporary artists at Arnolfini.”
Gary Topp, director of Arnolfini, says: “We have already seen a huge increase in numbers to our exhibitions, with visitors desperate for that shared in-person experience of arts and culture. This will probably be Bristol’s biggest ever weekend of arts, so people can literally immerse themselves in it all weekend and make up for those two years of missed experiences. We have four fantastic exhibitions taking place that are all free, and as soon as people have been to see us, we’ll be directing them up the road to our friends at Spike Island and the RWA.”
Kathryn Davis, director of tourism, Visit West, says: “The West of England is bursting with culture and creativity and, more than ever, Bristol is being recognised nationally and internationally as a cultural hub. This holiday weekend really showcases the breadth of huge homegrown talent the city has to offer, along with the amazing artists that want to be featured as part of Bristol’s offering. For anyone planning a trip or day out over the bank holiday, there is a lot to enjoy here.”
To find out more about the RWA or to book tickets, visit https://www.rwa.org.uk
To find out more about Spike Island, visit https://www.spikeisland.org.uk
To find out more about Arnolfini, visit https://arnolfini.org.uk
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