cbp-newsletter-october-2026

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OCTOBER 2026

Ben Sadler: My Mind in its Dark Corner, acrylic on wood, 20cm x 14.5cm, 2026

CBP Prize 2026

Winner: Ben Sadler

Highly Commended: Christopher Cook

We are delighted to share the news that Ben Sadler is the prizewinner of the 2026 CBP Prize, receiving £8000, an essay written about his painting practice by Georgina Kettlewell (Director of YAS), membership of Contemporary British Painting and to be one of the selectors for the 2028 CBP Prize. The ‘Highly Commended’ winner is Christopher Cook.

The YAS Exhibition Award:

Congratulations to Gwen Evans, the winner of the The YAS Exhibition Award selected by the gallery Director Georgina Kettlewell.

The Judith Tucker Memorial Prize:

The winners of the Judith Tucker Memorial Prize are Pippa Gatty and Melanie Guatelli.

YAS Exhibition Award:
Gwen Evans

The Judith Tucker Memorial Prize: Pippa Gatty

The Judith Tucker Memorial Prize: Melanie Guatelli

The Contemporary British Painting Prize 2026 exhibition continues until 17 October at Yorkshire Artspace before touring to London.

Exhibitions:

Huddersfield Art Gallery Curates at Yorkshire Artspace:

Persistence Works, 21 Brown Street, Sheffield S1 2BS

19 September - 17 October 2026

Thames-Side Studios Gallery, Thames-Side Studios, Harrington Way

Warspite Road, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London SE18 5NR

5 - 15 November 2026

Andrew Crane

We are very sorry to announce that painter and long time CBP member Andrew Crane has passed away.

Andrew had a rich career and participated in many CBP exhibitions. Andrew had a very inquisitive approach to painting and always had kind, supportive words for painters.

His family shared that he peacefully passed away on 11th September 2026. They added 'his eccentricities, witty humour and deep passion for painting remain a testament to his beautiful soul and remarkable character, and we are sure they will be remembered fondly by you all. He will be deeply missed."

On behalf of CBP, we send our deepest sympathies and condolences to Andrew’s family and friends.

Andrew Crane: The awakening of Jerome, cement and oil on canvas

Solo Exhibitions

Day Bowman: The Great Enclosure 1, oil, charcoal and conte on canvas, 170cm x 200cm

Marking Out the Boundaries

In this body of work, Day Bowman not only questions our perception of the British landscape but our understanding of property, of borders and of common rights. The exhibition at Athelhampton House will open with a dance performance in the Great Hall choreographed by Lizzi Kew Ross.

This recently refurbished Tudor manor house nestled in the Dorset countryside, will stage this body of work in the newly created long gallery throughout October and November 2026. Alongside Bowman’s work will be displayed the basket ware of Henrietta Irving. The two artists, who only met twelve months ago, find a deep connection with the materials they use and the resultant shapes and forms that are created. Henrietta will be making coiled raffia vessels and paper pieces on the theme of Timelines. She is inspired by changes in landscape and buildings over the centuries at Athelhampton in Dorset. Traces of medieval fishponds are still visible in the grounds, if you know where to look.

Athelhampton House, Athelhampton Road, Puddletown, Dorchester DT2 7LG

Private view: Saturday 3 October, 2.30pm - 4.30 pm

Dance Event: The Great Hall, 2 pm

Exhibition dates: 3 October - 30 November 2026

Opening times: 10 am - 4 pm daily • Admission free to the exhibition

Group Exhibitions

David Manley: Implicitus Silvae, mixed media on card, with wood support, 78cm x 103cm x 5cm, 2026

Wrexham Painting Prize

70 artists were selected from an open submission. The Prize celebrates painting in all its forms, welcoming work across oil, acrylic, watercolour, mixed media and expanded approaches. Includes work by CBP member David Manley.

Open Institute Studios, Unit 11, Island Green Retail Park, Wrexham LL13 7LW

Exhibition dates: 21 September – 17 October 2026

Opening times: Thursday – Saturday, 12 – 4pm • Admission free

Robbie Bushe: The Gated, oil on canvas, 185cm x 195cm

RSA200 at Glasgow Print Studios

To celebrate the bicentenary of the Royal Scottish Academy, Glasgow Print Studio presents an exhibition of work by four RSA Academicians: Robbie Bushe, Rachel Maclean, Barry McGlashan and Caroline Walker.

Through their distinctive use of narrative, fable, mythology and representation, these four artists create searching and complex interpretations of their subjects. While their worlds of inquiry are diverse, they are united by a striking depth of interpretative, psychological and imaginative impact.

“This exhibition is an exciting opportunity for us to introduce our audience to the work of four remarkable artists and RSA Academicians, each of whom takes an arresting individual path through the intersection of imagery and stories, into realities that may be constructed, staged, unstable or ambiguous.

It is also a celebration of Glasgow Print Studio’s long-standing relationship with the RSA – a vital institution at the heart of Scottish cultural activity – as part of its year-long 200th anniversary celebrations."

Glasgow Print Studios, Trongate 103 Glasgow G1 5HD

Private view: 1 October, 6pm - 8pm

Exhibition dates: 2 October - 28 November 2026

Admission free

Donna Mclean: Boom, oil on board, 270cm x 153cm, 2020-2024

ArtEvol 2026: A View from Everywhere

Curated by Nelson Qin and organised by London Art Collective (LAC), 'ArtEvol 2026: A View from Everywhere' will be on view at Saatchi Gallery London this October.

Through an open call, LAC sought works that reveal how differently the same world can be seen, understood, and represented. Work was selected by an international jury of curators, artists, critics and scholars for this large-scale international group exhibition which will bring together artists working across different cultures, disciplines and lived realities.

Founded by London Art Collective in 2022, ArtEvol is an annual exhibition series bringing together artists from different generations, cultures and stages of practice. Across five editions in London and Paris, it has developed from an experimental platform for independent artists into an international curatorial project examining how contemporary art is produced, presented, and valued.

The exhibition includes CBP Members Lesley Bunch, Kirsty Harris and Donna Maclean.

Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY

Exhibition dates: 2 - 9 October 2026

Opening times: Monday to Sunday: 10am - 6pm • Admission free

Lesley Bunch: Shadow Sculpture 42, oil on aluminium, 40cm x 40cm, 2026

Enzo Marra: Sleeper, acrylic on loose canvas, 80cm x 65cm, 2026

FEAR AND INTIMACY + 'A BODY IN ALL OF ITS STILLNESS'

Fear And Intimacy is a group exhibition about building new relationships in emigration - finding new circles and a 'chosen family', while fearing they might break again. The artists speak from displacement rather than about it. Includes work by CBP member Enzo Marra.

On the opening night, we present 'A BODY IN ALL OF ITS STILLNESS' - an excerpt from a play by Daniel Fruman. The performance starts at 6pm sharp - please arrive by 6pm for the play. TICKETS soon to be released.

Candid Arts Trust, 3-5 Torrens Street, London EC1V INQ

Private view: 3 October, 6pm

Exhibition dates: 4 - 5 October 2026

Opening times: 12 - 6pm

Lesley Bunch: Shadow Sculpture 48, oil on wooden panel, 40cm x 40cm, 2026

Rogue Women 5

'Rogue Women 5' brings together and celebrates the work of women artists from Rogue Studios with a broad range of practices exhibiting both nationally and internationally.

Every year guest artists from around the UK are invited to join the exhibition with the aims of creating wider connections within the arts community and supporting the huge wealth of talent from women in the arts. This year's 13 invited artists include Contemporary British Painting members Susan Absolon and Lesley Bunch.

Rogue Women is organised and co-curated by Jen Orpin and Margaret Cahill. This year Eleanor Clayton, senior Curator and Head of Collection and Exhibitions at The Hepworth Wakefield will be helping curate the show.

Ground Floor Gallery Space, Rogue Artists' Studios CIC, 2-6 Barrass Street, Openshaw, Manchester M11 1PU

Private view: Saturday 10 October, 2pm - 6pm

Exhibition dates: 10 - 25 October 2026

Opening times: Saturdays & Sundays 12pm - 4pm, Weekdays by appointment only

Admission free

Susan Absolon: Love Child, oil on closed-cell polyethylene, masking tape, cardboard, 22cm x14cm, 2025

Lesley Bunch: Shadow Sculpture 49, oil on wooden panel, 60cm x 50cm, 2026

Small Wonders

This October ‘Small Wonders’ will open at South Quay Gallery Great Yarmouth: ‘A very special exhibition of 22 distinguished UK painters and sculptors, including and curated by John Crossley‘.

Participating artists include: Ben Gooding, Carol Robinson, David Wiseman, Denise de Cordova, Ffiona Lewis, Laurence Noga, Lesley Bunch, Sharon Hall, Gill Ingham, Graham Crowley, Hayley Field, Ian Dawson, Ian Parker, Molly Thomson, Rebecca Bergese, Jo Chapman, John Crossley, Kathy McCarthy, Sato Sugamoto, Lisa Traxler, Mali Morris, and Mary Webb.

South Quay Gallery is a new creative space in the heart of Great Yarmouth, where art, community and everyday life meet. The gallery brings together a dedicated exhibition space, a small and welcoming café, and a light-filled area for workshops and classes. The gallery's inspiration comes from the spirit of Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, a place that feels calm, inclusive and quietly inspiring.

South Quay Gallery & Learning Centre, 26 South Quay, Great Yarmouth NR30 2RG

Private view: 17 October, 12 - 4pm

Exhibition dates: 17 October – 13 November 2026

Opening times: 10am - 6pm Wednesday - Sunday • Admission free

Enzo Marra: Sleeper, acrylic on canvas, 30cm x 21cm, 2026

The Warp and the Weft

Warp and Weft is a group show that explores the theme as a metaphor for the structural and spontaneous elements of a creative practice. examining influences, experiences, memories, history, and relationships that make up an artist's work. Includes CBP member Enzo Marra.

Bond Street Gallery, 4 Bond Street Cottages, Brighton BN1 1RP

Exhibition dates: 17 October – 8 November 8, 2026

Sean Williams: Semi System, acrylic on paper, 18cm x 11cm, 2026

Unrecognisable

The Prosaic Projects Gallery within Bloc Studios in Sheffield plays host to 'Unrecognisable', a playful project by Stephen Carley, Kate Jacob and Sean Williams, the three members of the 'A Bell Is A Cup' curatorial team.

They each present artwork which is unrecognisable as their own, sidelining their personal styles in an attempt to create something new, extending their practices, swiftly shifting between positions as curator and creator, and back again. Each participant will take it in turns to re-curate the work over the course of the micro exhibition.

Bloc Studios, 198 Arundel Street, Sheffield S1 4RE

Exhibition dates: 24 October - 21 November 2026

Opening times: Please contact Sean Williams @swseanwilliams to arrange a viewing

Florence Mine, Cumbria

Ground 5: A Celebration and Exploration of Florence Paintmakers

Ground 5 is an exciting new exhibition celebrating Florence Paintmakers, a micro business within Florence Arts Centre (FAC) producing hand made artist materials from Cumbrian minerals. The Centre is based on the site of a former iron ore mine in Egremont and represents a living legacy for the iron and steel industry which once dominated the area and for local people who were employed at Florence (until 2007) and other mines in the area.

Florence Paintmakers make a range of art materials using iron ore (Egremont Red) from the site, St Bees sandstone and Honister and Kirkby slates. These are sold online, wholesale and at the arts centre.

Florence Arts Centre has commissioned four regionally significant artists to create new artworks that celebrate the colours, qualities and heritage of the paintmaker products. Works by painter, Alison Critchlow, photographer, Alistair Debling, sculptor, Elizabeth Clough and filmmaker, Juliet Klottrup will be exhibited at Florence Arts Centre alongside a programme of events and activities exploring the exhibition.

Linden House, Bowness on Solway, Wigton Cumbria CA7 5BH

Open day: 29 October, 1pm - 7pm

Panel discussion: 29 October, 6pm - 7pm

Please see Florence Arts Centre website for accompanying events

Admission free. Events are free but must be booked in advance.

The Alchemical Sisters in "Dumb Supper"

New collective The Alchemical Sisters are exhibiting for the first time together. They will also be dining with their beloved dead in a sacred ritual called Dumb Supper, in which a place is set for those who have passed, and communication with them is invited, at the time of year when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest. Remnants of the ritual will sit alongside the artists’ work in the show. The Sisters are interested in the transformational, the collective unconscious, and depth psychology. Here they open portals to another realm, honouring and making visible our connection with ongoing ancestral presence.

The Sisters: Ruth Calland, Francesca Alaimo, Sarah Sparkes, Avis Underwood, Donna McLean, Andrea G Artz, Noga Shatz, Ruth Philo, Selma Makela.

Barbican Arts Trust Project Space, 114a Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow, London E17 6AA

Private view date: Friday 30 October, 6-9 pm

Exhibition dates: 31 October - 1 November 2026

Opening times: 10am - 4pm • Admission free

Art Fairs

Susan Absolon: Rescue all the Pieces #1, mixed media, 15cm x 44cm x 33cm, 2026

Imprint Art Fair - the Director's Cut

Imprint Art Fair seeks to push the boundaries of print. It encourages works that pioneer new technical approaches, are large-scale contemporary art interventions, or are presented in unconventional formats. The Fair brings collecting, artistic practice and cultural discourse into dialogue, positioning print as a vital lens through which contemporary art can be understood; it offers a compelling point of access for new audiences.

During September 2026, the Director's Cut will present an online-only selection of works that particularly stood out during the judging process, reaching the final stages of this year's Discovery selection process but did not progress to the fair itself. A curated programme of talks, conversations, and workshops exploring the evolving role of print in contemporary art will take place during the Fair. Includes work by CBP member Susan Absolon.

Imprint Art Fair, Lawrence Hall, Westminster, London SW1P 2QD

Event dates: 29 October - 1 November 2026

View online selection

Curatorial Projects

Mirco exhibitions at Bloc Studios curated by Sean Williams

Bloc Studios, 198 Arundel Street, Sheffield S1 4RE

Opening times: Please contact Sean Williams @swseanwilliams to arrange a viewing.

Admission free

Loukas Georgiou: Double Take, oil on canvas, 25cm x 20cm, 2024

People Doing Things

'People Doing Things' is a micro exhibition in the Prosaic Projects Gallery within Bloc Studios in Sheffield that brings together four artists who work predominantly with the human figure. Rather than sitting mutely for a portrait, the people in their paintings are engaged in some form of activity - be it surreal or ethereal, to something more ordinary. Either way, there are stories to be revealed, for we are inquisitive creatures however much we may deny it. The artist's skill lies in seducing us into wanting to know more. The artists are Evie Black, Mark Gamsu, Loukas Georgiou and Lyn Hodnett, and the show is curated by CBP member Sean Williams.

Exhibition dates: 14 September - 18 October 2026

Opening times: Please contact Sean Williams @swseanwilliams to arrange a viewing.

Admission free

Continuing Solo Exhibitions

Simon Carter: The Unsayable Lights, acrylic on canvas, 140cm x 145cm, 2026

Simon Carter: From the Landscape

Simon Carter: From the Landscape will present existing and new works over newly painted surfaces that respond to Firstsite’s architecture, light and atmosphere, layering paint, process and memory.

Firstsite, Lewes Gardens, Colchester CO1 1JH

Private view: 18 September, 6pm - 10pm

Exhibition dates: 19 September 2026 - 17 January 2027

Opening times: Tues, Wed and Sun 10am - 5pm. Thurs, Fri, Sat 10am - 10pm. Closed Monday • Admission free

Miranda Boulton: Garlands and Wreaths II, oil and acrylic spray paint on canvas, 150cm x 120cm, 2025

Chain of Flowers

Chain of Flowers, an exhibition of new oil paintings by Cambridge-based artist Miranda Boulton will open at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery this May. Boulton’s practice explores ideas around memory and time, referencing the traditions of still life painting and abstraction with a mixture of vigorous and delicate marks.

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, Castle Hill, Norwich NR1 3JU

Exhibition dates: 16 May - 6 December 2026

Opening times: 10am - 5pm • Admission: Ticketed - please see website

Continuing Group Exhibitions

Configurations

‘Configurations’ is a group exhibition featuring ten artists whose practices engage with themes of assembly and perception, that is, the act of seeing beyond the direct line of sight: focusing on the edges, the initially unseen, and the subtleties of the act of looking and discovery. Includes work by CBP member Ruth Philo.

Ken Artspace, 16 Windmill Row, London SE11 5DW

Finnisage: Saturday 24 October, 2pm - 4pm

Exhibition dates: 26 September - 24 October 2026

Opening times: Thursday, 11am - 5pm / Friday, 11am - 5pm / Saturday 11am - 4pm or by appointment • Admission free

Susie Hamilton: Lime Beach

Edge: Where the Land Meets the Sea

Edge: Where the Land Meets the Sea is a major new exhibition exploring the fundamental connection between land and sea, and the vital role both play in sustaining life on our planet. Includes work by CBP member Susie Hamilton.

Hastings Contemporary, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings

Exhibition dates: 26 September 2026 - 3 January 2027

Admission: Ticketed - please see website for details.

Susan Absolon: Soft Tissue, mixed media, 28.5 x 36.3 x 3cm, 2024-26

Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2026

This year's exhibition includes 92 works from 2,500 entries received. The exhibition will tour widely in the UK after its launch in London. Includes work by CBP Member Susan Absolon, Robbie Bushe and Juliette Losq.

Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, Poplar, London E14

Exhibition dates: 17 September - 4 October 2026

UK tour venues and dates TBC

Opening times: 11am - 6pm daily • Admission free

Juliette Losq

The Wages of Decadence

The Wages of Decadence brings together the work of Carolein Smit, Elena Unger, Juliette Losq and Edgar Ward to explore the rise and fall of civilisations through contemporary painting and sculpture.

James Freeman, 354 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0PD

Private view: 10 September, 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Exhibition dates: 10 September - 10 October 2026

Opening times: Tues- Sat 12 - 6.30pm • Admission free

Ruth Calland: Gialu, oil on paper on board, 76cm x 61cm, 2024

The Sidney Nolan Art Prize (inaugural exhibition)

Inspired by the legacy of pioneering Australian modernist artist Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992), the Sidney Nolan Art Prize invited artists to explore art that engages with emotion and human identity in relation to society and/or the landscape, environment, plants, and animals. Includes work by CBP member Ruth Calland.

Sidney Nolan Trust, The Rodd, Herefordshire LD8 2LL

Exhibition dates: 11 July - 4 October 2026

Opening times: Weds - Sun 11am - 4pm

Admission: Free with admission to the Sidney Nolan Trust (£6.30)

Continuing International Exhibitions

Mandy Payne: Much Loved, Much Missed, spray paint and oil on concrete, 20cm x 20cm, 2025

Le Chant des Villes

Group show of 10 artists and one collective featuring painting, photography and ceramics responding to the urban environment by evoking the city's textures, surfaces, interstices and temporal layers. Includes work by CBP member Mandy Payne.

Galerie du Jour, Agnes B, Place Jean Michel Basquiat, 75013 Paris

Exhibition dates: 4 September - 25 October 2026

Opening times: Wed - Sat11am - 7pm, Sun 2pm - 7pm

Admission free

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