Bonington Gallery

09/08/2024

The gallery is currently closed for the summer, but we are busy behind the scenes preparing for our first exhibition of the 24/25 season - ‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989-2024’, curated by with .gallery Touring.

Book your 🎟️ for the launch on Thursday 26th September 6-8pm via the link in our bio. More information about the exhibition👇.

Presenting over 120 works across a 35-year period, ‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024’ brings together contemporary working class artists who use photography to explore the nuances of working class life in all its diversity.

The exhibition, curated by J***y Pitts, emphasises the perspectives of practitioners who turn their gaze towards both their communities and outwards to the wider world.

After the End of History will offer a counterintuitive picture of working-class life today, from Rene Matić’s portrait of growing up mixed race in a white working-class community in Peterborough, to Elaine Constaintine’s documentation of the Northern Soul scene, to Kavi Pujara’s ode to Leicester’s Hindu community, and JA Mortram’s documentation throughout his life as a caregiver. After the End of History will explore the challenges and beauty of contemporary working-class life, in all its diversity today.

Artists in the exhibition include Richard Billingham, Sam Blackwood, Serena Brown, Antony Cairns, Rob Clayton, Joanne Coates, Josh Cole, Artúr Čonka, Elaine Constantine, Natasha Edgington, Richard Grassick, Anna Magnowska, Rene Matić, J A Mortram, Kelly O’Brien, Eddie Otchere, Kavi Pujara, Khadija Saye, Chris Shaw, Trevor Smith, Ewen Spencer, Hannah Starkey, Igoris Taran, Nathaniel Télémaque, Barbara Wasiak, Tom Wood.

📷 Eddie Otchere, Goldie, Metalheadz (Blue Note Sessions) Blue Note, Hoxton Square, 1996 © Eddie Otchere

We are delighted to have hosted the exhibition alongside partners &

[ID: A photograph of the Drum & Bass musician and DJ Goldie. He’s pictured wearing a red cap and red T-shirt, appearing to be shouting/cheering with his left arm outstretched towards the right of the photograph.]

23/07/2024

📽️🟦 Documentation from our recent screening of the Blue Description Project (2023), followed by a discussion and Q+A between BDP collaborator , Audio Describer Elaine Joseph () and Bonington Gallery Director Tom Godfrey 🟦👀

BDP is a new experimental version of Derek Jarman’s seminal film ‘Blue’ (1993), featuring expanded accessibility measures including audio description, creative captions and in-person British Sign Language interpretation.

It was a fantastic event, and so well attended! Thanks to all who came, plus our brilliant BSL interpreters Peter & Michelle and 1-2-1 Captions for the live captioning.

📷 by John Smalley



[Image descriptions in alt texts]

25/04/2024

Join our current exhibiting artist Osheen Siva for a free workshop rooted in Dalit history next week. During the workshop, we’ll look into the origins, history and legacy of the Dalit Panthers movement.

- Wednesday 1 May, 11 am - 3.30 pm
- Free and open to all
- Taking place in Bonington Gallery
- Some pre-reading materials will be sent to participants in advance
- Lunch will be provided

Find out more and sign up here > https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/event/dalit-futures/

28/03/2024

We will be closed for the Easter break from Friday 29 March - Tuesday 2 April, reopening on Wednesday 3 April.

Don't miss Osheen Siva’s powerful exhibition, 'Karuppu' until Saturday 4 May, alongside Shahnawaz Hussain in our vitrines and Peepshow: An Illusion Cut to the Measure of Desire in the foyer.

https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/events/

26/03/2024

🤩 Osheen Siva has had a busy few weeks!

After the launch of 'Karuppu' here at the gallery, they completed this stunning mural at the Mary Ann Evans building at Nottingham Trent University's Clifton campus last week.

25/03/2024

Thanks so much to everyone who came along to the launch of Osheen Siva: Karuppu recently - it was our busiest one yet! 🙌

Visit the show, alongside Shahnawaz Hussain's 'My Nottinghamshire Perspectives in Watercolour' in the vitrines and 'Peepshow: An Illusion Cut to the Measure of Desire' in our extra gallery spaces until Saturday 4 May. Free - open to all.
---
Photos by John Smalley.

08/03/2024

Happy International Women's Day 💖

This stunning painting by artist Osheen Siva will be part of our next exhibition, 'Karuppu', which runs from Saturday 16 March - 4 May.

Osheen's vibrant paintings and drawings explore feminine and q***r identity and the quest for a liberated future.

Running alongside it, as part of this year’s Light After Dark Film Festival, 'Peep Show' is an innovatively staged exhibition of archival film, curated by feminist collective Invisible Women.

Join us for the launch event > https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/event/osheen-launch/

26/02/2024

Join us this Thursday at 1 pm for an accessible walkthrough of our current exhibition, 'history is a living weapon in yr hand'. It will be led by artist Onyeka Igwe, audio describer Elaine Joseph, and a BSL interpreter.

Free, all welcome.

Book your place: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nottingham-trent-university/free-lunchtime-walkthrough-history-is-a-living-weapon-in-yr-hand/e-jdyxlp

https://youtu.be/D-NAp5D3tmo?si=cknu0HpQgLL6gg_4

In this short clip, we follow Tom through the main accessible entrance into our main gallery space. This tour takes us into the main gallery, past the cafe, ...

06/02/2024

Don't miss a free online conversation between exhibiting artist Onyeka Igwe and NTU's Dr. Jenni Ramone on Tuesday 13 February at 7 pm.

They will explore topics related to Igwe’s wider practice and the ideas, research and development that informs both the exhibition and Igwe’s 2023 film, 'A Radical Duet', that is central to the installation. There will also be the chance to post questions.

Get your free ticket > https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nottingham-trent-university/in-conversation-with-onyeka-igwe-and-jenni-ramone/2024-02-13/19:00/t-lnamkxx

25/01/2024

🤩 Thanks to everyone who came along to the launch of Onyeka Igwe: history is a living weapon in yr hand a few weeks ago. It was a great turnout and atmosphere, with music from DJ Ain Bailey in the Atrium.

📆 The exhibition is free & open to all until Saturday 2 March.
Mon–Fri 10am–5pm
Saturdays 11am–3pm

📸: Tom Platinum Morley - Photography

23/01/2024

Onyeka Igwe's exhibition, 'history is a living weapon in yr hand' is now open, and runs until Saturday 2 March 🎉

We've been working with Onyeka and Collective Text to integrate accessibility measures to make the exhibition and spaces more accessible for our D/deaf & Hard of Hearing, Blind and Visually Impaired audiences.

On the exhibitions webpage under the heading ‘Accessibility Information’, there is a description of these measures, with links to the audio description introduction so people can prepare ahead of their visit: https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/event/onyeka-igwe/

05/01/2024

Just one week to go until our next exhibition launch! Are you joining us?

Onyeka Igwe: history is a living weapon in yr hand
📆 Fri 12 January, 6-8pm. Free, open to all.
🥘 Free vegan curry (get there early!), welcome drink and music from DJ Ain Bailey

✨ Get your free ticket: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nottingham-trent-university/exhibition-launch-onyeka-igwe-history-is-a-living-weapon-in-yr-hand/e-pgazoq

21/12/2023

Our gallery space has taken many forms over the years. Here's a few archive images from the last decade – which exhibitions do you remember?

1 - Dick Jewell: Now & Then (2019). Photo by Jules Lister.
2 - It's Our Playground: Artificial Sensibility (2017). Photo by Jules Lister.
3 - Lace Unarchived: various artists (2018). Photo by Jules Lister.
4 - Mould Map 6 - Terraformers (2016). Photo by Jules Lister.
5 - Performing Drawology (2016). Photo by Mike Kane.
6 - Ruth Angel Edwards: Wheel of the Year! Effluent Profundal Zone! (2018). Photo by Jules Lister.
7 Made in Wood: Architecture students from Nottingham Trent University and Bergen Academy of Art and Design, Norway (KHiB). (2015). Photo by Mike Kane.
8 - The Serving Library v David Osbaldeston (2018). Photo by Jules Lister.
9 - You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat (2017). Photo by Jules Lister.

To discover more about the exhibitions, visit our archive: https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/archive/

30/11/2023

😍 Did you know... NTU's beautiful Waverley building is one of the UK's first purpose built art schools? It opened as the Nottingham School of Art in 1865.

Waverley features in our current exhibition, The Art Schools of the East Midlands, which closes this weekend.

📆 Come take a look - we're open from 10am-5pm weekdays and 11am-3pm on Saturday.

16/11/2023

📢 Art School and the Look: Fashion, Music and Lifestyle in Nottingham and Beyond with Paul Gorman has now been rescheduled.

It will stream live via our YouTube on Wednesday 22 November, 7-8.30pm.

Reserve your free online ticket here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nottingham-trent-university/art-school-and-the-look-fashion-music-and-lifestyle-in-nottingham-and-beyond-with-paul-gorman/e-oqzjgm

Paul Gorman is a writer, curator and commentator on visual culture. His books include The Look: Adventures in Rock & Pop Fashion, Mr Freedom – Tommy Roberts: British Design Hero, The Life & Times of Malcolm McLaren and The Wild World of Barney Bubbles. The paperback of his latest book, Totally Wired: The Rise & Fall of the Music Press was published in summer 2023.

09/11/2023

⏰ There's just over 3 weeks left to visit our current exhibition, The Art Schools of the East Midlands.

It is the latest part of John Beck and Matthew Cornford’s ambitious Art School Project, to track down and document all of the UK’s art schools – including the iconic Waverley building at Nottingham Trent University. In our our vitrines and foyer you can see historical materials relating to the history of Nottingham School of Art & Design.

Come take a look – we're open from 10am-5pm weekdays and 11am-3pm Saturdays. Free, open to all.

https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/event/art-schools/

02/11/2023

Got plans on Friday 17 November? Nottingham's Rammel Club will be coming to the gallery for a FREE night of visionary music, sounds and performance from 7-10pm.

Join us for experimental sounds with Lady Neptune, Dawn Terry and Paul Pascal.

"The Rammel Club... is a deceptively vital outlet for underground music." - The Wire Magazine

Grab a free ticket here > https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nottingham-trent-university/rammel-club-lady-neptune-dawn-terry-paul-paschal/e-radplb

24/10/2023

The 'Waverley heads' are 14 stone sculptures featuring different artists, and can be spotted at the top of the Waverley building, part of Nottingham School of Art & Design on NTU's city campus.

This 3D model gives us a glimpse up close, and was made by Dan Billings who works in Immersive Media, within the School. The 3D mockup of Turner's head was generated using around 90 images captured with a drone.

See the photos as part of The Art Schools of the East Midlands exhibition by John Beck and Matthew Cornford, until Saturday 2 December.

19/10/2023

🚨 We're really sorry to announce that tonight's event Art School and the Look: Fashion, Music and Lifestyle in Nottingham & Beyond with Paul Gorman has been cancelled due to illness.

Bookers have been contacted via email, and we will announce a new date as soon as we can.

09/10/2023

We had another brilliant launch night last month to celebrate the opening of The Art Schools of the East Midlands. 🤩

The exhibition is now open until Saturday 2 December. Join us for a relaxed Free Lunchtime Walkthrough of the exhibition on Wednesday 8 November, 1-2 pm. Book a place: https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/event/free-lunchtime-walkthrough-2023-8-11/

---
Photos by Adam Grainger.

21/09/2023

Tonight's Exhibition Launch: The Art Schools of the East Midlands is looking busy – we've just released some extra tickets so there's still time to join us!

⏰ Tonight, from 6-8 pm
😋 Free nibbles from Nonsuch Studios from 6pm (first come, first served!)
🎵 Enjoy music from DJ & NTU Fine Art alumna Kay Fabe

The exhibition then runs from Fri 22 September – Sat 2 December 2023. Free, all welcome.

Get your launch ticket > https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/nottingham-trent-university/exhibition-launch-the-art-schools-of-the-east-midlands/e-bdgvba

18/09/2023

👀 Did you spot us in the Observer yesterday? John Beck and Matthew Cornford's Art School Project was featured in a double page spread, focussing on the important issues it raises surrounding the landscape of the UK's regional art schools.

Still chance to book your free ticket for our Exhibition Launch: The Art Schools of the East Midlands event this Thursday.

Read the article: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/sep/17/the-buildings-were-a-sign-of-civic-pride-anger-as-art-colleges-around-the-uk-close-their-doors

22/08/2023

📢 Call out for memories! 📢 Be part of our next exhibition...

Did you study at Nottingham School of Art & Design or have you attended past events at Bonington Gallery?

We are collecting memories and photos to put on display in our next Vitrines show, Art [School] Histories.

These could take the form of:

- photographs
- flyers
- posters
- ticket stubs
- typed up anecdotes/memories

Email them to us at [email protected] or share them on social media by tagging us and using the hashtag

More info: https://www.boningtongallery.co.uk/call-out-for-memories/