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

Focal Point Gallery

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Focal Point Gallery is South Essex’s gallery for contemporary visual art, promoting and commission

16/10/2026

“The visitor is invited to spend time in the space, not just to look at the artworks, but to really try to spend time daydreaming, thinking, and having a fantasy,” Gad el Rab and Sinders say. “There is this notion of ‘soft fascination’ which is at the core of Attention Restoration Theory (developed by the environmental psychologists Rachel Kaplan and Stephen Kaplan in 1989): a gentle form of effortless attention that lets the brain rest and recover.” – Aimee Dawson for The Arts Newspaper

In Gallery 2, a new installation by Romy Gad el Rab and Caroline Sinders proposes a resistant way to exist in our chronically online world, based on research into the Default Mode Network (DMN) – a series of neural connections said to be active during wakeful rest: times of daydreaming and mind wandering but not sleep. A sculpture, made in collaboration with artist Mike McShane and ceramicist Hayley Summers and two pod-like sculptures that play a soundscape created with DJ Programma sit in dialogue with Helen Cammock's film 'They Call It Idlewild' (2020), a poetic and political reflection on idleness.

The exhibition also includes works by Nina Davies, Rebecca Moccia, Salvatore Vitale and Qualeasha Wood and is on until 9 January 2027 – come and say hi! To read the full The Arts Newspaper column follow the link in the comments.

With thanks to Art & Assembly for the fabrication of the pod sculptures.

📷Anna Lukala

14/10/2026

✨ Last chance to see Do Somethin’, this year's Southend High Street Railway Bridge Commission by Elleanna Chapman. Closes on 17 October!

Working with found imagery, rhinestones, and references to popular culture, Chapman draws on her upbringing in a working-class Essex family to celebrate aesthetics often dismissed as "low" culture. Embracing glamour, kitsch, and hyper-femininity, the work reflects on class, taste, identity, and the enduring stereotype of the "Essex girl". Composed of hundreds of thousands of sparkling pink rhinestones, 'Do Somethin’' pairs lyrics from Beyoncé's Haunted (2013) and Britney Spears' Do Somethin’ (2004), transforming familiar pop references into a new public artwork that invites reflection on power, aspiration, and agency.

With thanks to Arts Council England, Southend-on-Sea City Council and Network Rail. Thanks also to Crystal Parade and Mark1Hire for their support of this commission.

Credit: Photography by Markus Klinko and Andrew MacPherson

12/10/2026

'A device’s absence from view does little to diminish its presence in thought. Compulsory Continuous Connectedness is alert to this contradiction, and its strongest works understand that the problem is not simply our attachment to particular objects and platforms, but the social and economic arrangements that have made such attachment feel indispensable. Rest, in this context, cannot be reduced to an individual choice or a set of calming techniques. It requires the possibility of inhabiting time otherwise: without an obligation to respond, improve or account for oneself.' – Elliott Higgs for Contemporary Arts Society

Led by a new commission and research from artists Romy Gad el Rab and Caroline Sinders, the exhibition features work by Helen Cammock, Nina Davies, Rebecca Moccia, Salvatore Vitale and Qualeasha Wood. The works address the mechanisms by which digital platforms reshape our lives and wellbeing, while also inviting visitors to consider whether the alternative to our networked world might not be to simply switch off, but to switch on a different kind of thinking, where rest is both resistance and replenishment.

The exhibition is now on until 9 January 2027 – come and say hi! To read the full Contemporary Arts Society review follow the link in the comments.
📷Anna Lukala

08/10/2026

Creative Open Day: Grey Woven Portrait with Dr Amit Swarma. Free, open to all!🖌️

Join us on Saturday 24 October anytime between 11am and 3pm to explore our exhibition through an interactive workshop led by Dr Amit Swarma. Participants are invited to explore memories, emotions and resilience through creative self-expression. The workshop unfolds in three parts: creating, weaving and discussing.

Throughout, the focus is on experimentation; changing, combining and developing what you have created, and discovering where the process takes you.

📆Saturday 24 October
⏰11am to 3pm, drop in
🎟️Book your FREE space via link in comments

01/10/2026

Artists Film International 2026: A Kind of Power on the Big Screen Southend!
2 October – 20 December 2026

We are thrilled to have teamed up with our friends at Forma to present a programme unfolding across both sites, with an exhibition and two public events at FormaHQ, alongside screenings presented as part of the Big Screen Southend programme.

A distinct selection of AFI ’26 films has been curated for each venue by Nina Wong and Wade Osei Pryor as part of Forma’s fourth year of collaboration with the MFA Curating course at Goldsmiths, University of London. Work by Razia Akbari, Malik Irtiza, Ann Oren, Amaal Said and a clip from the ongoing project VIDEO NEWS to be shown on the Big Screen Southend.

Across the two sites, Wong and Osei Pryor have organised the programme into three thematic threads – looking, watching and witnessing – each of which investigates the role of the camera and visual media more broadly, as conduits of power in an increasingly surveilled and hypervisible era.

Curated and convened by Forma, in collaboration with a network of cultural institutions, the 19th edition of Artists Film International (AFI ’26) is structured as a decentralised curatorial platform in which each partner nominates an artist from its local context.

Read more via link in the comments 🔗

📷 ONGOING PROJECT. VIDEO NEWS (film still #), 2018–20. Courtesy of the artists. Selected for AFI'26 by Sapieha Palace, branch of the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vilnius

30/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday for the opening of 'Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world' ✨

The exhibition will be on view from 30 September 2026 until 9 January 2027. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming public programme, which will include a symposium and a day of performance!

Led by a new commission and research from artists Romy Gad el Rab and Caroline Sinders, the exhibition features work by Helen Cammock, Nina Davies, Rebecca Moccia, Salvatore Vitale and Qualeasha Wood. The works address the mechanisms by which digital platforms reshape our lives and wellbeing, while also inviting visitors to consider whether the alternative to our networked world might not be to simply switch off, but to switch on a different kind of thinking, where rest is both resistance and replenishment.

Focal Point Gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday 11am– 5pm

📷 Amber Merry

29/09/2026

Last few days to apply: Enterprise, Investment Cultural Programme Lead 📣
Deadline: Friday 2 October (midnight)

We are looking for an Enterprise, Investment and Cultural Programme Lead to join us at an exciting moment, as we look ahead to our 40th anniversary year with an ambitious artistic and civic programme. The role works across Focal Point Gallery and Southend Museums to maximise the opportunities of Southend’s cultural assets, identifying strategic cultural partnerships, funding opportunities, and attracting investment to support artists, creatives and our ambition to strengthen the city’s cultural offers, making it accessible to all.

Salary range: £46,142 to £52,413

The application deadline is Friday 2 October (midnight). For more information about the role and how to apply check the link in the commments 🔗

23/09/2026

Opening this Saturday 26 September, 5–8pm!

Come and join us this Saturday for the opening event of Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world, a group exhibition led by a new commission and research from artists Caroline Sinders () and Romy Gad el Rab () with work by Helen Cammock (), Nina Davies (), Rebecca Moccia (), Salvatore Vitale () and Qualeasha Wood ().

The exhibition explores the impact of networked media on our collective mental wellbeing, while also inviting visitors to consider whether the alternative to our networked world might not be to simply switch off, but to switch on a different kind of thinking, where rest is both resistance and replenishment.

RSVP via link in our bio if you plan to attend – free, open to all ✨

16/09/2026

Closed for installation 🔧

We are now closed as we install 'Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world', a group show exploring the impact of networked media on our collective mental wellbeing, opening on Saturday 26 September, 5pm to 8pm – everyone is welcome! Please RSVP via link in the comments if you are planning to attend.

Led by a new commission and research from artists Romy Gad el Rab and Caroline Sinders, the exhibition features work by Helen Cammock (), Nina Davies, Rebecca Moccia, Salvatore Vitale and Qualeasha Wood. The works and artists address the mechanisms by which digital platforms reshape our lives and wellbeing, while also inviting visitors to consider whether the alternative to our networked world might not be to simply switch off, but to switch on a different kind of thinking, where rest is both resistance and replenishment.

The exhibition will be on view from 30 September 2026 until 9 January 2027.

14/09/2026

To coincide with 'Do Somethin’', a new commission for the Southend High Street Railway Bridge, the artist Elleanna Chapman has released a new zine titled 'Dual Power'. ✨

Referencing Britney Spears, 'Dual Power' takes the form of a CD and booklet documenting Chapman’s artwork and performance of the same name. First activated through a lecture-cum-performance staged with Teaspoon Projects at NORITO London, in April 2026, 'Dual Power' explores agency and the power of the individual under capitalism through the unlikely pairing of Britney Spears and Leon Trotsky.

Continuing Chapman’s exploration of celebrity, identity and popular culture, the new commission reimagines familiar icons through unexpected visual pairings. Drawing on found imagery, rhinestones and nostalgic references, the work reflects the artist’s working-class Essex upbringing, where diamantés, kitsch ornaments and Britney Spears were celebrated without irony.

Visit the gallery or head to the link in our bio to find out more and purchase your zine.💿✨

Address

Southend-on-Sea
SS11NB

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+441702534108

Website

https://www.fpg.org.uk/

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