Arnolfini

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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MEET THE CAST OF 1947 🎭We’re thrilled to introduce the eight brilliant actors bringing 1947 to the stage at Arnolfini th...
27/08/2026

MEET THE CAST OF 1947 🎭

We’re thrilled to introduce the eight brilliant actors bringing 1947 to the stage at Arnolfini this September.

✨ Priya Blackburn as Salma
✨ Amar Chaggar as Riz
✨ Meneka Das as Mother
✨ Jack Edwards as Council Official / PC Quinton
✨ Michael Kodi Farrow as Mason
✨ Kerena Jagpal as Reynah
✨ Arif Javid as Father
✨ Rico Morris as Nas

Written and directed by Zahid Fayyaz, 1947 is a new three-act play about a British Pakistani family in Bristol, and a promise made a generation ago that finally comes due.

As an ordinary family gathering begins to unravel, long-buried tensions rise to the surface, forcing them to confront inheritance, obligation and the stories families tell to survive.

📍 Arnolfini, Bristol
📅 10–12 September 2026
🎟️ Book now: https://www.ticketsource.com/1947play

Join Threads at Arnolfini on 10 September, 1.30–2pm for a welcoming and playful free movement workshop for all ages and ...
25/08/2026

Join Threads at Arnolfini on 10 September, 1.30–2pm for a welcoming and playful free movement workshop for all ages and abilities. 💫

Whether you’re completely new to dance, love to move, or are an experienced dancer looking to explore your creativity, this is a space to move at your own pace, connect with others and discover your own unique way of moving.

Inspired by Polly Braden’s Against the Tide and Jonathan Baldock’s Held, we’ll explore themes of access, loneliness and storytelling through movement, mark-making and conversation.

No dance experience needed. No choreography to learn. Just bring yourself, your curiosity and a willingness to move.

🎨 New this September: Home Ed Creative Studio!We’re excited to launch a new weekly, term-time art group for home-educate...
21/08/2026

🎨 New this September: Home Ed Creative Studio!

We’re excited to launch a new weekly, term-time art group for home-educated children and young people aged 7+ in Bristol.

Led by Bristol-based artist Laura Calvert, these relaxed, artist-led sessions are all about exploring creativity, trying new things and building confidence in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

Across the autumn programme, young people will have the chance to experiment with printmaking, sculpture, textiles, painting, collage, wearable art, drawing and more — using high-quality materials and working at their own pace.

With small group sizes and plenty of individual support, Home Ed Creative Studio is a space to make, experiment, express yourself and connect with other home-educated young people.

✨ 12 weekly sessions
💷 £145 for the full programme
👥 Limited places

Places must be booked in advance for each six-week block and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

👉 Book your place: https://buff.ly/etvg0rR

A Bristol family gathers. What begins as an ordinary family occasion slowly unravels into something far more complicated...
20/08/2026

A Bristol family gathers. What begins as an ordinary family occasion slowly unravels into something far more complicated.

1947 is a new three-act play by Zahid Fayyaz exploring family, inheritance, obligation and belonging through the story of a British Pakistani family confronting a past they've spent years avoiding.

📅 Thursday 10 September — 7pm
📅 Friday 11 September — 7pm
📅 Saturday 12 September — 2pm & 7pm

This is the first public staging of 1947, ahead of its full production.

Written & directed by Zahid Fayyaz.
Supported by Arts Council England.

📣 Could you be our next Senior Marketing and Communications Manager?We’re looking for a brilliant marketing and communic...
19/08/2026

📣 Could you be our next Senior Marketing and Communications Manager?

We’re looking for a brilliant marketing and communications leader to join the team at Arnolfini and help shape how we connect with audiences across our exhibitions, events and wider visitor experience.

This is a chance to play a key role in an exciting next chapter for Arnolfini — leading our marketing and communications and helping shape our brand and digital development.

📍 Bristol | Minimum 3 days on-site
💷 Up to £45,000 depending on experience
🕐 Permanent, full-time | 37.5 hours per week

Applications close at midday on Wednesday 26 August.

Know someone who could be a great fit? Or perhaps it’s you? 👀

👉 Find out more and apply: https://buff.ly/zsusyLU

Step inside 'Held' after hours.Join Jonathan Baldock for an intimate tour of 'Held' at Arnolfini, alongside Head of Exhi...
17/08/2026

Step inside 'Held' after hours.

Join Jonathan Baldock for an intimate tour of 'Held' at Arnolfini, alongside Head of Exhibitions Gemma Brace.

Together, they’ll take you through key works in the exhibition, opening up conversations around craft, making, materiality, the body and the strange, imaginative worlds that art can create.

📅 Wednesday, 16 September
⏰ 18:00–19:00
📍 First floor galleries, Arnolfini
🎟 £10 full price | £8 concession

Book your ticket here: https://buff.ly/bUVzyu5

Join us for a free artist talk at Arnolfini on 17 September.Hear from a group of talented early-career moving image arti...
12/08/2026

Join us for a free artist talk at Arnolfini on 17 September.

Hear from a group of talented early-career moving image artists whose films have been presented at Arnolfini this spring and summer as part of FVU New Takes.

A number of the artists will join FVU Director Angelica Sule and Arnolfini’s Head of Exhibitions Gemma Brace for an in-conversation exploring their work, creative approaches and experiences of taking part in FVU New Takes.

The six artists — Mahdy Abo Bahat, Anna Engelhardt, Hantao Li, Morisha Moodley, Jameisha Prescod and Lucy Rose Shaftain-Fenner — bring bold and inventive approaches to storytelling and form, engaging with themes including the global climate crisis, crip filmmaking, body politics, state violence, archival memory, and contemporary trans+ and British culture.

📅 17 September 2026
🕡 6:30pm - 7.30pm
🎟️ Book your free ticket: https://buff.ly/hY8Dh4w

Come along for an evening of conversation, insight and exchange with some of the exciting early-career voices working in moving image today.

What a brilliant day of making! This week, our family workshops with Let's Make Art took inspiration from Jonathan Baldo...
11/08/2026

What a brilliant day of making! This week, our family workshops with Let's Make Art took inspiration from Jonathan Baldock’s exhibition, with everyone getting creative and making their very own colourful masks. 🎭🌾

🎭 The same mask-making workshop continues tomorrow, so there’s still time to come along and get involved.

Then, next week we’ll be exploring a whole new set of themes inspired by the exhibition, with more playful, hands-on activities for all the family. ✨

📅 Every Tuesday & Wednesday in August
🕚 11am–1pm & 2pm–4pm
📍 Free – no booking required, just drop in!

For over 60 years we've sharpened Bristol's cultural edge; from exhibitions to workshops, live events to a drink shared ...
07/08/2026

For over 60 years we've sharpened Bristol's cultural edge; from exhibitions
to workshops, live events to a drink shared with friends.

We're looking for an experienced Senior Marketing & Communications
Manager to lead marketing across Arnolfini's exhibitions, engagement
programmes, live events and visitor experience, while helping deliver the next
phase of our brand and digital transformation.

If you're a strategic marketer who loves great storytelling, audience
engagement and making ideas matter, we'd love to hear from you.

📍Bristol (Hybrid)
💼 Full Time
💵 Up to £45,000

Applications close: 12:00pm (midday), Wednesday 26th August.

Download the Job Description and apply here: https://buff.ly/qmdj4nG

✨ August at Arnolfini ✨A new month of creativity, connection and exploration awaits. Join us throughout August for a pro...
07/08/2026

✨ August at Arnolfini ✨

A new month of creativity, connection and exploration awaits. Join us throughout August for a programme of events, workshops and activities inspired by our current exhibitions.
From family-friendly creative sessions and opportunities to develop your drawing practice, to artist-led experiences and other exciting ways to engage with our shows, there’s plenty to discover at Arnolfini this summer.

Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning to see what’s new, we’d love to welcome you.

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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