Spanning the entire gallery, this landmark collaboration celebrates the diversity, energy and innovation of contemporary art today, offering a platform for bold voices and fresh perspectives.

Submissions:

• Open to any artist with a connection to Sussex
• Open October 2025
• Close January 2026
• Entrance fee £15 per submission (max. 3 submissions)

Visit the exhibition page for more information.

The post The Open: Odyssey appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

The Hastings Contemporary Mobile Studio is a new creative resource for the town, designed to be a welcoming space where everyone can play, learn, and grow through art.

Over the past six months, while the studio was under construction, we invited families, schools, artists and local people to share their ideas on how the space could be used.

Now complete, the Mobile Studio has taken up its temporary home on the Stade Open Space. We are busy developing a new programme of events and activities – from skill-sharing workshops to artist residencies – which will start in the autumn.

In the meantime, look out for pop-up events in the studio this summer. We’ll also continue collecting your ideas on what you want to see in the space, helping shape its future. Read on for more information.

What is the Hastings Contemporary Mobile Studio?

The Hastings Contemporary Mobile Studio is a new creative initiative for the town. Led by Hastings Contemporary in partnership with local cultural organisations, the project has been developed to help remove barriers that can prevent people from participating in art, creativity, and creative education. The project aims to ensure that every person, regardless of background or circumstance, can access meaningful, high-quality arts engagement.

What is the Mobile Studio aiming to do?

Through a programme of workshops and events the Mobile Studio will support people to produce original creative work, develop their ability to express ideas, and have new experiences through art and creative making. The space will help individuals and different groups in Hastings to become confident in a range of techniques including drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media and storytelling.

It represents not only a physical resource, but also a commitment to equity in creative education, community pride, and cultural collaboration across the town.

What will the space be like?

The Mobile Studio has been designed to be flexible, fun and inspiring space that reflects the character of Hastings. It is on wheels, so it will be able to travel around the town. It has a fold-down stage and is wheelchair accessible via a lift. Inside, it has a sink and there is room for eight people.

How will it support schools and young people?

There is growing recognition of the pressures on schools to deliver a rich and balanced curriculum, especially in creative subjects. The Mobile Studio responds to this challenge by providing a fully equipped, mobile creative space that can visit schools and community venues across Hastings. Designed to enhance and complement classroom learning, it will offer workshops and sessions that align with the national curriculum while also giving young people and their teachers the chance to experiment with new materials, techniques, and ideas.

Who has developed the Mobile Studio?

The project is being led by Hastings Contemporary. It has been co-designed by artist Kieren Reed and Studio Hardie. It is funded by Projects and Partnerships Funding from the UK Government.

Share your ideas

As we bring this vision to life, we’d love to hear from you. We are inviting visitors to tell us: What’s one thing you’d love to see happen in the Mobile Studio? Would you like to try a new art technique, bring your children to a creative workshop, or attend a performance? Whatever your idea, we want to hear it. Email us at events@hastingscontemporary.org.

The post The Mobile Studio is here! appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

To mark the next stage of the project, a model of the Mobile Studio, and a selection of the materials used in its construction, will be on display at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery for the next three weeks, before moving around town.

As part of this display, we’re inviting your ideas. What would you like to do or experience in the Mobile Studio? Below, we share more about the vision, purpose and people behind this project, and how you can get involved.

What is the Hastings Contemporary Mobile Studio?

The Hastings Contemporary Mobile Studio is a new creative initiative for the town. Led by Hastings Contemporary in partnership with local cultural organisations, the project has been developed to help remove barriers that can prevent people from participating in art, creativity, and creative education. The project aims to ensure that every person, regardless of background or circumstance, can access meaningful, high-quality arts engagement.

What is the Mobile Studio aiming to do?

Through a programme of workshops and events the Mobile Studio will support people to produce original creative work, develop their ability to express ideas, and have new experiences through art and creative making. The space will help individuals and different groups in Hastings to become confident in a range of techniques including drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media and storytelling.

It represents not only a physical resource, but also a commitment to equity in creative education, community pride, and cultural collaboration across the town.

What will the space be like?

The Mobile Studio has been designed to be flexible, fun and inspiring space that reflects the character of Hastings. It is on wheels, so it will be able to travel around the town. It has a fold-down stage and is wheelchair accessible via a lift. Inside, it has a sink and there is room for eight people.

How will it support schools and young people?

There is growing recognition of the pressures on schools to deliver a rich and balanced curriculum, especially in creative subjects. The Mobile Studio responds to this challenge by providing a fully equipped, mobile creative space that can visit schools and community venues across Hastings. Designed to enhance and complement classroom learning, it will offer workshops and sessions that align with the national curriculum while also giving young people and their teachers the chance to experiment with new materials, techniques, and ideas.

Who has developed the Mobile Studio?

The project is being led by Hastings Contemporary. It has been co-designed by artist Kieren Reed and Studio Hardie, and is funded by Projects and Partnerships Funding from the UK Government.

What is happening now?

As we bring this vision to life, we’d love to hear from you. A model of the Mobile Studio and the materials used in its construction are on display at the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.

We are inviting visitors to tell us: What’s one thing you’d love to see happen in the Mobile Studio?

Would you like to try a new art technique, bring your children to a creative workshop, or attend a performance? Whatever your idea, we want to hear it.

Write it on a comment card and post it through the slot in the vitrine, or email us at events@hastingscontemporary.org.

The post Hastings Contemporary Mobile Studio – Call for ideas appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

Here at Hastings Contemporary, we are especially excited to host the winner of the Evelyn Williams Drawing Award 2025 – a major opportunity for an artist to develop and present a solo show with us. The award is supported by the Evelyn Williams Trust.

The Evelyn Williams Drawing Award is:
– £10,000 prize
– A solo show at Hastings Contemporary
– Selected from the TBWDP 2025 shortlist, through a proposal process
– Previous winners include Barbara Walker, Penny McCarthy, Roland Hicks and Isabel Rock

Other Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prizes:
– £8,000 First Prize
– £5,000 Second Prize
– £2,000 Student Award
– £2,000 Working Drawing Award

Entries close: 5pm on 17 June 2025
Find out more and submit via the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize website.

Image: Penny McCarthy, Aglaonice, 2022, graphite on paper.  Evelyn Williams Drawing Award Winner 2019. From her solo show at Hastings Contemporary, The clouds fall in love with mortal.

The post Evelyn Williams Drawing Award 2025 appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

We are excited to announce the opening of coquina at Hastings Contemporary, a new Mediterranean inspired restaurant and café with stunning panoramic views.

coquina is brought to you by the team behind Bayte in St Leonards, Ruby Boglione and Silvy Pilkington, along with chef Wil Hopson, formerly of Tillingham, Moro, Kricket and Carousel.

Inspired by our shared love of Spanish tapas bars, Italian trattorias and Greek tavernas, coquina will serve vibrant dishes featuring the best produce from across the South coast.

At its essence coquina is about simple food and classic drinks, all made with passion and great produce.

With an approachable, fun and fast paced style, coquina will sit well amidst the hustle and bustle of the Old Town. Whether it’s a salty snack and a cocktail at sundown, a light lunch and glass of wine after a visit to the gallery, or a special celebration in our beautiful space, coquina can cater for it all.

coquina café 
Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm

coquina restaurant 
Thursday–Saturday, 5pm–11pm

Everyone welcome, no exhibition ticket needed.

Our current cafe will remain in operation until Sunday 16 March.

Hastings Contemporary members enjoy at 10% discount on café food and non-alcoholic drinks during daytime opening hours.

coquinarestaurant.co.uk
@coquina.hastings

The post Introducing coquina appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

The independent curator, strategic consultant and broadcaster is taking over the position from Liz Gilmore, who is stepping down from her role after 14 years to become CEO of The Sherborne, a new landmark gallery and arts space in the South West.

Kathleen Soriano says “I have long been an admirer of Hastings Contemporary, and what has been achieved there, so it is an honour to be part of the team taking the enterprise forward and planning for the gallery’s future. Hastings Contemporary is one of the most impressive and entrepreneurial cultural organisations in the UK and I couldn’t be more pleased and excited to be joining the team at this exciting phase in their development. “

Chair of Hastings Contemporary, Professor Andrew Corbett-Nolan, said “The Board of Trustees is absolutely delighted to be welcoming Kathleen Soriano to Hastings Contemporary. Kathleen’s long and incredibly successful track record for world-class programming and placemaking will be invaluable to us as we plan for the future including the rollout of our new mobile studio, our continuing ambitions for digital innovation and the development of a new capital masterplan following the recent acquisition of the 99-year lease for the Hastings Contemporary building.” 

For more information, interviews and images please contact Tracy Jones, Brera PR –
tracy@brera-london.com / 01702 216658 / 07887 514984 / www.brera-london.com

The post Announcing our new Interim Director appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

We are excited to announce the development of our new mobile art studio, created with and for the local community and other Hastings art organisations.

Launching in 2025, the space will champion everyday creativity, giving everyone the chance to play, learn and grow through art.

Funded by the UK government, the project will be a shared creative studio space on wheels, able to travel directly to playgrounds, community centres, parks and festivals across Hastings and Rother.

The space is being co-designed by Studio Hardie, a renowned team of creative designers and makers based in Lewes, and celebrated Hastings-born artist Kieren Reed.

The project was conceived in response to the challenges faced by Hastings communities, with a vision to promote wellbeing and inclusivity through creativity.  It supports Hastings Contemporary’s core mission to enrich lives by offering new experiences, supporting creativity and helping our town to thrive.

The mobile studio will be a shared resource with local arts organisations and will be available for hire, opening up opportunities for community events, pop-up exhibitions, performances and workshops for all ages and audiences.

We are currently hosting a series of community consultations led by Kieren Reed. The first session, Walk, Talk and Make, will take place in Hastings Old Town on Friday 13 December. We invite you to join us.

The Mobile Studio is funded by Projects and Partnerships Funding from the UK Government.

The post Our New Mobile Studio appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

Liz, who was the founding Director of Jerwood Gallery – which then became Hastings Contemporary – is one of the most respected figures in the UK art world. She has played a key role in the regeneration of Hastings as a visitor destination and thriving creative community.

She will take up her new role in March 2025, so the process of recruiting a new Hastings Director before Liz steps down at the end of February is now getting underway, with details appearing on our website soon.

Liz says: “It has been a huge honour to lead the gallery and its development to this point, including the responsibility of becoming a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England. Hastings is a very special place, a hotspot of creativity and will always remain close to my heart.

I want to express my deepest appreciation to staff, volunteers and the many partners who have shared the journey. It has been a real privilege to bring works from all over the world to Hastings and to witness so many people exploring art through our exhibitions, learning and community programmes. And there is so much to look forward to, with the astonishing talents of artists Sophie Barber and Isabel Rock on display this autumn.”

Gilmore is recognised for championing women and underrepresented artists and for her vision and innovation. She spearheaded the venue’s inaugural show, Rose Wylie’s Big Boys Sit in the Front (2012) which represented the 76-year old’s first major institutional exhibition, leading to her subsequent debut at Tate and The Serpentine. Other exhibitions developed under her leadership include The Chapman brothers – Jake and Dinos Chapman’s In the Realm of the Unmentionable (2014-15) which was nominated for a Museums & Heritage Award; Paula Rego’s The Boy Who Loved the Sea and Other Stories (2017) (nominated for a Sky Arts Award); Victor Willing’s Visions, (2019); Barbara Walker’s Vanishing Point (2018-19) and Project Art Works’ Ignition residency (2021) with both going on to be nominated for the Turner Prize. Recent high-profile exhibitions include Soutine | Kossoff (2023), Nengi Omuku, The Dance of the People and the Natural World and Hurvin Anderson, Salon Paintings (both 2023/24).

Gilmore has an established reputation for innovation with Hastings Contemporary playing a key role in the South East tourism initiative, the Coastal Culture Trail and being the first gallery to offer robot tours and licenced to tattoo. Henry Krokatsis’ Kabin (2018) hosted the first fully functioning sauna in a public gallery and with Lakwena Maciver’s Jump (2022) the gallery was transformed into a basketball court.

The Chair of Hastings Contemporary, Andrew Corbett-Nolan, said “We have been deeply privileged to have someone of Liz’s calibre and ambition leading the gallery for more than a decade. She has made such a difference both to ways of seeing and encountering art and to the town and wider region. She has brought art and people together in new and exciting ways and more than fulfilled our ambitions for the gallery and its impact. We shall miss her enormously but wish her well in all that she does in the future.”

The post News from our team appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

At Hastings Contemporary we bring world-class modern and contemporary art to a spectacular coastal setting. The gallery welcomes everybody, and through our exhibitions and activities we aim to enrich lives by offering new experiences, supporting creativity and helping our town to thrive.

This is an exciting and challenging time to join Hastings Contemporary as we seek to build on the success of the last decade and ensure our beautiful gallery continues to thrive as a key part of the regional arts ecology.

As funding for the arts is squeezed across the UK, we are looking to build new income generation schemes and create even deeper engagements with the Hastings community. Our immediate income priorities for the coming year include engaging with the Government’s Levelling Up agenda and the funding available to communities such as Hastings to spread opportunity more equally and continuing our status as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations.

In order to help us achieve these strategic priorities, we are seeking to develop and grow our Board of Trustees with a new Chair and board members across a range of skills and backgrounds from senior leadership across business and culture to community representation.

We are looking to recruit a new Chair and two new Trustees who will share our passion for the visual arts and belief in how galleries can change lives for the better. We are looking for people who represent the diverse perspectives and experiences of Hastings and Sussex life, and people with skills and experience to help us on our journey.

Update: recruitment has now closed.

The post Join our Board of Trustees appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.

We want to welcome more local visitors to the gallery than ever.

‘At Hastings Contemporary we recognise the vital and transformative power of art to transcend boundaries and borders. We launch our spring/summer season in tandem with the rollout of our local ticket discount to include Rother residents, as well as Hastings residents, so more people than ever can visit the gallery for half price.‘ Liz Gilmore, Director of Hastings Contemporary

Rother residents are also eligible for local membership, starting at £32 a year for unlimited entry to the gallery. Join online today.

Schools in Rother are eligible for discounted educational visits. Visit our learning pages to find out more and book a visit.

To qualify for our local ticket just bring proof of address with you to the gallery, such as a utility bill or drivers licence. Eligible postcodes are BN24, TN5, TN19, TN21, TN31, TN32, TN33, TN34, TN35, TN36, TN37, TN38, TN39 and TN40.

See our full list of ticket prices here.

The post Our local residents ticket appeared first on Hastings Contemporary.