October Gallery

25/08/2026

Don't miss the major exhibition
LR Vandy: Rise at The Weston Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
https://ysp.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/lr-vandy-rise

19/08/2026

Coming soon📣
Zana Masombuka / Spotlight: Benji Reid

🗓️ 3rd September – 3rd October, 2026

October Gallery will soon present selected photographic works by South African artist Zana Masombuka. Bringing together compelling works from different series, the exhibition explores themes deeply rooted in her Ndebele culture.

In the gallery's second space, a Spotlight is placed on poignant works by award-winning photographer and multidisciplinary artist Benji Reid.

Read more https://www.octobergallery.co.uk/exhibitions/zana-masombuka-spotlight-benji-reid

14/08/2026

‘I think weaving in general is a visceral way to speak about the domestic. These vessels, while referencing grass basketry, also depict blankets, kitchen cloths and other humble textiles that quietly signal care within the home. Weaving becomes a wider metaphor for social cohesion, or lack thereof. While this tension is acutely felt in Zimbabwe, it resonates globally, where women’s work continues to be systematically undervalued.’
— Xanthe Somers.

On view until Saturday, 15th August, 2026.

📧 For sales enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

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Xanthe Somers
Cleaner, Carer, Mother, Maker, 2026
Glazed stoneware
115 x 70 x 70 cm

Xanthe Somers
A place for what remains, 2026
Glazed stoneware
59 x 50 x 52 cm

Xanthe Somers
Never an end to holding, 2026
Glazed stoneware
110 x 60 x 60 cm

12/08/2026

Lorry Station (Why Not!) by Ablade Glover.



Glover’s work reveals his vibrant passion for life, activity and colour. Using warm impasto pigments to express the sun and heat of his country, Glover depicts animated landscapes that mirror the exuberant diversity of Africa: its bustling market stalls, brightly attired crowds, and the dynamic energy that is Ghana.

📧 For sales enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

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Ablade Glover, Lorry Station (Why Not!), 2017.

Oil on canvas, 122 x 122 cm.

10/08/2026

Last week to see Poetic Threads featuring artists Xanthe Somers and Yacout Hamdouch, alongside Spotlight: James Barnor!

The exhibition continues until Saturday, 15th August, 2026.

06/08/2026

We are delighted to share that Zana Masombuka’s work Is’bawo: The Transmigration of the Soul (2025) has been gifted to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for its permanent collection.

Masombuka’s practice navigates the liminal terrain between the physical and spiritual worlds. This powerful work pays homage to her late maternal grandfather, whose life and spiritual legacy form its inspiration. Her striking photograph is set in an intricately beaded frame drawing from Ndebele cultural objects; Masombuka creates a compelling visual work that explores the interconnected themes of lineage, destiny and the sacred.

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Zana Masombuka ndebelesuperhero
Is’bawo: The transmigration of the Soul, 2025
C-Print on Baryta 270 archival paper in beaded frame.
Wood, glass beads, glass, cotton thread, metal, vinyl
118 x 75.5 x 4.5 cm

04/08/2026

Now on YouTube ▶️
Gallery Talk: Yacout Hamdouch

Watch artist Yacout Hamdouch in conversation with curator Eleri Fanshawe as they discuss the artist’s recent series ‘Poetic Landscapes’ and ‘Fertile Rainbows’. The conversation explores Hamdouch’s distinctive approach to memory, emotion and human connection through richly layered compositions of colour and form.

Across both series, Hamdouch employs a refined layering technique, using subtle shifts in colour and tone to evoke the complexities and nuances of human experience.

Watch here

The conversation explores Yacout Hamdouch's paintings ‘Poetic Lands...

31/07/2026

‘Eternal Clouds’ (2025) by Govinda Sah 'Azad'☁️


Fascinated by the changing qualities of light passing through layers of cloud, Govinda Azad translates his experience of the natural world into meditations on the shifting states of his inner landscape. His paintings are built through densely interwoven layers of mark-making, gradually accumulating oil and acrylic on canvas. As the painted surface becomes increasingly saturated, the repetitive act of painting evolves into a meditation on the complexities and mysteries of life itself.

📧 For sales enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

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Govinda Sah 'Azad', ‘Eternal Clouds’, 2025.
Indian pigment, oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm.

27/07/2026

Last Saturday, we enjoyed a day of creativity and conversation with artist Xanthe Somers and internationally renowned photographer James Barnor, together with curator Eleri Fanshawe 🙌

The morning began with a Family Art Day led by Xanthe Somers, who introduced her practice and the vibrant ceramic works on view in ‘Poetic Threads’. Inspired by the exhibition, families then created their own artworks exploring colour, weaving and pattern.

Later in the day, James Barnor joined curator Eleri Fanshawe for a Gallery Talk, reflecting on a remarkable career spanning more than seven decades and sharing the stories behind some of his most celebrated photographs.

Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Keep an eye on our channels for recordings of the Gallery Talks with Yacout Hamdouch and James Barnor, coming soon.

23/07/2026

Our lovely café will be closed on Friday, 24 July due to a private function.

We look forward to welcoming you back next week during our usual café opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday, 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm!