Arnolfini

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Arnolfini Free thinking since 1961. Art, performance, literature, music, learning and film. Free entry.

Arnolfini is a centre for contemporary arts located on Bristol’s harbourside in the heart of the city. Woven into the fabric of Bristol since 1961, Arnolfini is a pioneer of interdisciplinary contemporary arts, presenting an ambitious, eclectic programme of visual arts, performance, dance, film, music, workshops and family events, carefully curated to appeal to a broad audience and underpinned by a commitment to a dynamic civic role in the city. An internationally-renowned institution, throughout its history Arnolfini’s programme has welcomed artists from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, supporting and developing their work, investigating their influences and aspirations. Arnolfini has long-standing relationships with a variety of partners and celebrates the heritage and wide-reaching impact of the organisation through sharing a 60 year archive of exhibition slides, publications and artist book collection and continues to build on the multicultural, diverse and inclusive ethos that has prevailed since its inception. Arnolfini remains at the heart of the Bristol community, always mindful of founding director Jeremy Rees’ principle to ‘Enjoy Yourself’, inviting everyone to join in. Find out more at www.arnolfini.org.uk
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We’re grateful to be featured in Nearfield magazine in their article highlighting events that make space for grief and l...
22/10/2026

We’re grateful to be featured in Nearfield magazine in their article highlighting events that make space for grief and loss.

If you’re aged 18–35 and have experienced the death of someone close to you, join us for a Let's Talk About Loss meet-up at Arnolfini.

An informal, welcoming space to share, listen, laugh, cry, or simply be. There’s no pressure to talk, and you don’t have to navigate grief alone.

We’ll also enjoy an after-hours tour of Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey, exploring themes of connection, identity and memory through art.

📍 Arnolfini, Bristol
📅 Wednesday 18 November, 6–8pm

Find out more here: https://buff.ly/kCZiJKp

A wonderful start for Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey. We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us for Friday’s p...
19/10/2026

A wonderful start for Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey.

We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us for Friday’s preview and helped make the opening such a special occasion.

Bringing together over 150 photographs, films, installations and textile works, the exhibition explores identity, beauty, history and belonging through Joy Gregory’s innovative approach to photography and image-making.

Now open at Arnolfini as part of Bristol Photo Festival, we invite you to spend time with the exhibition and discover Gregory’s extraordinary practice.

📍 Arnolfini, Bristol
🎟️ Free entry, no booking required
📅 Until 7 February 2027

We look forward to welcoming you.

YOU ARE INVITED! ✨Join us to celebrate the opening preview of Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey, presented as part ...
16/10/2026

YOU ARE INVITED! ✨

Join us to celebrate the opening preview of Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey, presented as part of Bristol Photo Festival.

Be among the first to experience this major exhibition exploring identity, beauty, history and belonging through photography, film, textiles and more.

Hear from artist Joy Gregory at the preview and discover her innovative, thought-provoking practice.

📍 Arnolfini, Bristol
🗓️ Tonight, Friday 16 October
🕔 From 5pm
🎟️ FREE ENTRY — everyone is welcome!

Come along and celebrate with us! 🖤

15/10/2026

A little behind the scenes look at the finishing touches…
👀

Be among the first to see Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey, opening at Arnolfini as part of

Join us tomorrow evening from 5pm for the exhibition preview to experience this incredible show exploring identity, beauty, history snd belonging through photography, film, textiles and more.

🗓️ Friday, 16 October
⏰ 5pm - 8pm
🎟️ FREE entry - RSVP via the link in bio

We can’t wait to welcome you!

✨ Opening this week at Arnolfini: Joy Gregory — Catching Flies with Honey ✨ This Black History Month, we’re celebrating ...
12/10/2026

✨ Opening this week at Arnolfini: Joy Gregory — Catching Flies with Honey ✨

This Black History Month, we’re celebrating the work of pioneering British artist Joy Gregory, whose practice has challenged conventions and explored questions of race, gender, beauty, migration, language and cultural memory for over four decades.

Opening this week as part of Bristol Photo Festival, Catching Flies with Honey brings together more than 150 photographs, films, installations and textile works, offering a powerful opportunity to encounter Gregory’s extraordinary contribution to photography and contemporary art.

📸 Be among the first to experience the exhibition at our exclusive preview evening on Friday 16 October, 5–8pm, at Arnolfini.

Join us to celebrate Joy Gregory’s work and reflect on the histories, identities and cultural experiences that shape our world.

🎟️ Find out more and book your free preview tickets: https://buff.ly/W9GS7dN

Image credits:
Joy Gregory Autoportrait 1989 – 1990 Silver Gelatin Lith Print © 2025 Joy Gregory. All rights reserved, DACS.
Joy Gregory, Candy Stripe Bathing Costume from the series ‘Girl Thing’ 2002 – 2004 Cyanotype © Joy Gregory
Joy Gregory Eyelashes from the series ‘Objects of Beauty’ 1992 – 1995 Kallitype © Joy Gregory
Joy Gregory Zara from the film ‘Fairest’ 1999 – 2010 Fuji Crystal Archive Print © Joy Gregory

Congratulations to Joy Gregory, who has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Art. 🎉 An RCA alumna...
09/10/2026

Congratulations to Joy Gregory, who has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Art. 🎉

An RCA alumna, Joy was recognised at the College’s 2026 Convocation alongside this year’s Honorary Doctors and Fellows — the latest recognition of an extraordinary career spanning more than four decades.

And very soon, we’ll be welcoming Joy to Arnolfini for Catching Flies with Honey, her first major retrospective survey, bringing together more than 150 works exploring race, gender, beauty, migration, language and cultural memory across four decades of practice.

Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey
17 October 2026 – 7 February 2027 (Opening night: Friday 16 October, 5–8pm)
At Arnolfini as part of Bristol Photo Festival 2026: Time Machine

Congratulations, Joy – we can’t wait to open the exhibition in Bristol.

Photo credit: Tara Jang

Last chance for Early Bird tickets! 🎟️Join us at Arnolfini on Friday 16 October for Time Machine: Bristol Photo Festival...
09/10/2026

Last chance for Early Bird tickets! 🎟️

Join us at Arnolfini on Friday 16 October for Time Machine: Bristol Photo Festival Symposium ✨

From alternative histories of photography and the Spanish Civil War to Palestinian archives, family inheritance, motherhood and q***r belonging, we'll explore the stories and ideas behind this year's exhibitions.

THE PROGRAMME

10am | Welcome & introductions
Bristol Photo Festival and UWE Bristol

10.20am | Alternative Histories of Photography
Sergio Valenzuela Escobedo, Annabelle Lacour & Christine Eyene
Chaired by Alejandro Acín

11.15am | Folk tales from the India–Bangladesh border
Akshay Mahajan with Julia Carver

11.50am | Family inheritance
Yuko Edwards & Kelly O’Brien with Diane Smyth

1.10pm | Remembering the Spanish Civil War
Natasha Christia & Anna Jornet with Alejandro Acín

1.45pm | From Armenia to Palestine
Kegham Djeghalian Jr

2.40pm | Motherhood and q***r belonging
Liu Hsing Yu & Annie Wang with Diane Smyth

3.15pm | Catching Flies with Honey
Joy Gregory with Shawn Sobers

📍 Friday 16 October | 10am–4pm | Arnolfini, Bristol

🎟️ Last chance for £20 Early Bird tickets! Standard tickets £25. UWE Bristol students receive a 40% discount.

Book via Headfirst: https://hdfst.uk/e161461

In collaboration with UWE Bristol, British Journal of Photography and FOAM Magazine.

06/10/2026

🎥 A sneak peek of what’s happening this Saturday at Arnolfini…

A Mouth In Search Of A Voice is a new performance by Jamie Hamilton and Phaedra Ensemble, exploring the space between spoken language and musical sound through the stammered voice.

🎶 Live strings, bass clarinet, keyboard and electronics come together with recordings of the voices of people who stammer, alongside video by Matt Spendlove.

✨ This Saturday | 7:30–8:30pm
📍 Arnolfini, Bristol

Come and experience this unique and moving new work.

🎟️ Book tickets: https://buff.ly/6xf1deM

✨ Join us for the preview evening of Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey! ✨We’re delighted to be welcoming you to Arn...
05/10/2026

✨ Join us for the preview evening of Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey! ✨

We’re delighted to be welcoming you to Arnolfini for the opening of Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey, one of the headline exhibitions of Bristol Photo Festival 2026. 📸

Bringing together more than 150 photographs, films, installations and textile works, this landmark exhibition spans four decades of Joy Gregory’s pioneering practice, exploring race, gender, beauty, migration, language and cultural memory.

Join us for an evening of art, conversation and celebration as we open the exhibition and kick off Bristol Photo Festival’s Opening Week.

Book your free tickets: https://buff.ly/Btg79HO

And don’t forget to stay on for the Bristol Photo Festival Opening Party from 8pm in Arnolfini Theatre, featuring a special live show by three of Bristol’s most compelling musical artists. 🎶

We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 💛

Image credit: Joy Gregory, Stockwell Siren from the series ‘Celebrity Blonde’ 2003 performance © Joy Gregory

As Held draws to a close this Sunday, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has visited Jonathan Baldock's exh...
25/09/2026

As Held draws to a close this Sunday, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has visited Jonathan Baldock's exhibition at Arnolfini.

Over the past few months, we’ve received an overwhelming number of messages, photographs and tagged posts from people sharing their experiences of the exhibition. We’ve loved seeing the many different ways visitors have responded to, connected with and physically engaged with the work.

At the heart of Held is a desire for connection: with art, with our bodies, with nature, memory and with one another. From spending time with the Bear, to encountering Baldock’s tactile, strange and tender sculptures throughout the galleries, the exhibition has offered a space to pause, play, explore and experience art beyond simply looking.

We’re incredibly grateful to have been able to host a show that has resonated so deeply with so many people, and that has invited visitors to experience art in such a direct and physical way. Making art accessible and creating opportunities for as many people as possible to meaningfully experience it is a continuous effort, and Held has been a particularly special part of that.

Thank you to everyone who came, hugged, touched, explored, shared, talked about and spent time with Held. And thank you to Jonathan Baldock for creating a world that so generously welcomes us in.

Held is open until Sunday 27 September, this is your final weekend to visit. 🐻

Address

16 Narrow Quay
Bristol
BS14QA

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

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