John Hansard Gallery

15/10/2026

Protest, power, preventable fatalities.

We believe one of the purposes of contemporary art is to challenge us; these three scenes from Naeem Mohaiemen's 'THROUGH A MIRROR, DARKLY' could easily be mistaken for today's news. They're actually from the USA, over 50 years ago.

Produced by Artangel and commissioned in partnership with Film and Video Umbrella and Wexner Centre for the Arts, this film examines the tragedies at Kent State University and Jackson State College. Ohio's National Guard and State Police in Mississippi fired on protesting students, yet the difference in how they were reported and remembered is striking.

The deaths of Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder became the subject of national outrage. Lost in the media focus were Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, two students killed ten days later by police officers at Jackson State, Mississippi – a historically Black college.

Mohaiemen’s inquiry into this racialised disparity sparked the creation of this poignant film.

THROUGH A MIRROR, DARKLY
24 October 2026 - 9 January 2027

https://bit.ly/4yqakof

14/10/2026

Ever heard of Ujamaa?

Edgar's going to introduce us - TONIGHT!

Together, we'll explore the concept of Ujamaa through his film 'The Ujamaa Stool' and enjoy a rich discussion about how Ujamaa sits within today's sociological climate 💭

If your brain needs a little mid-week action, come join us from 6pm. Invite a friend or two, it's free!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DedFP2DIGWj/

13/10/2026

ONE WEEK TO GO! 📅

Opening next week, we are excited to present New Ceremonies.

Curated by Louise Siddons, and featuring work by Mal Parry, Bean Yazzie, and Siddons, the exhibition brings together their distinct artistic practices to reveal their shared commitment to reaching beyond the gaps embedded within archives to find q***r joy.

For New Ceremonies, Mal Parry presents a new body of work. A transgender, transdisciplinary artist working across scenography, performance, drag, and visual art, Parry’s work refigures knowledge about Joan of Arc and Eleanor Rykener through performative practices of making that reveal identity as process.

Louise Siddons’ latest work makes visible the archive contained within q***r dancers past and present. Creating space for shared forms of meaning-making, while refusing to render q***r bodies as spectacle, her work draws on her background in historic Anglo-American social dance traditions.

Bean Yazzie’s contribution builds on The Dilbaa Project, a series of photographic and audio portraits of q***r Diné (Navajo) women, transmasculine, and nonbinary people and their families.

New Ceremonies foregrounds lived experience and collective knowledge as forms of archival practice to look beyond what exists outside and beyond archival limits. How does the archive inspire positive futurities?

Join us for the Preview on Friday 23 October from 6-8pm. The exhibition then opens to all from 24 October.

>>> https://jhg.art/events/new-ceremonies/

07/10/2026

Another changeover is afoot ⚠⁠
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TWO new exhibitions open on Saturday 24th October, but don't worry, we've still two excellent shows to see before they arrive! 👇⁠
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'BREAKING PATTERNS' - a compelling 48-minute documentary showcasing the talent and impact of Black creativity on fashion.⁠
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'Becoming Doctors: Stories of Identity, Inequality, and the Future of Care' - explore artworks created by medical students that reflect on values, motivations, perspectives on patients, and the kind of doctor they aspire to become.⁠
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The next few weeks are a particularly peaceful time to visit - pair an Autumnal walk with our exhibitions and gallery shop!

06/10/2026

EVENT ALERT! 🚨

Naeem Mohaiemen: In Conversation
Saturday 24 October, 1.30pm

On the opening of his new John Hansard Gallery exhibition, join artist Naeem Mohaiemen in conversation with gallerist Sarah Le Quang Sang and Benjamin Tran.

The three-channel film THROUGH A MIRROR, DARKLY examines the turbulent 1970s. It focuses on American students in Ohio and Mississippi protesting overseas wars and domestic racism, who were met by lethal state violence over ten days in May 1970.

Alongside the film, Mohaiemen also presents existing as well as new work made specifically for John Hansard Gallery.

FREE, book your ticket via the below 🎫

>>> https://jhg.art/events/naeem-mohaiemen-in-conversation-with-sarah-le-quang-sang-and-benjamin-tran/

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02/10/2026

FINAL CALL ⏳

Tomorrow is your last chance to catch 'Art of Creation ' in its European debut here at JHG!

This beautiful, interactive exhibition made up part of British Science Festival 2026, and explores how the earliest stages of pregnancy can shape the health of future generations.

Big shoutout to McMaster University and Art Gallery of Hamilton, as well as University of Southampton, for harnessing the power of art to highlight the complex interaction between genetic, environmental and societal factors influencing health in our communities!

More info on our website 💛

30/09/2026

23/09/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Fourteen months after we published 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮, our new report asks: what has changed?

There has been real progress. The visual arts are now recognised as a ‘frontier’ sub-sector in the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, represented on the Creative Industries Council, and reforms to SIC codes will strengthen how parts of our sector are measured and understood.

But visibility is not enough.

Artists, organisations, studios, galleries, education, public institutions and the commercial market are interconnected. Fragility in one part affects the whole ecosystem.

𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.

Read the report here >>> https://jhg.art/events/framing-the-future-one-year-on/

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Contemporary Visual Arts Network // DACS // Artists Now // University of Southampton