Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Rd, Bristol BS1 6UX
The riot of full-bodied exuberance currently filling the spaces of Spike Island sits in welcome contrast to this colourless English January. Dividing up the space of the gallery, hang twenty or so large quilted canvases that froth with vivid colour, dense paintwork, and detailed needlework by Filipina-American, Pacita Abad (1946–2004). Review by Lizzie Lloyd
Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road Bristol BS1 6UX
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In his new film ‘the destructors’, Imran Perretta uses narrative and visual storytelling to articulate his personal experiences with physical and structural violence. The result is a sensitive and poignant indictment of the British governmental policies, Austerity and the War on Terror, which have served to exacerbate the marginalisation and oppression of Muslim communities living in the UK. Review by Julia Schouten
Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UX
‘Common Ground’ showcases the importance of place in Andrea Luka Zimmerman's practice. At the centre of the exhibition is Zimmerman’s film ‘Estate, a Reverie’ (2015). It tracks the drawn out closure of the Haggerston Estate in East London, where Zimmerman lived for 18 years. Review by Helen Cobby
Bristol Old Vic, King St, Bristol, BS1 4ED
The Record is 61 minutes in which 45 local people perform a series of choreographed movements on the vast empty stage of Bristol Old Vic. They are here because they responded to an open call for participants. None of them had met prior to arriving at the theatre for opening night. Review by Andy Field.
Various locations, Bristol
Bristol Biennial 2016 presents thirteen new commissions on the theme of ‘In Other Worlds’. This otherness took many forms: human to non-human, present to future; from the city streets to the very air we breathe. A series of exhibitions, talks, events and satellite projects encourage encounters with, conversations on and explorations of an array of alchemically transformed locations across the city. Review by Kate Self
Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UX
‘Isle of Slingers’ draws together multiple strands of Stuart Whipps’ working practice, revealing his working method and showing an archive of information researched and compiled over a period of five years. Review by Rory Duckhouse
Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UX
The asceticism of religious furnishing denies any mortal comfort; one’s body ought to be forgotten, directing mind and gaze in a heavenward tilt. Riffing on this tic of worshipful design, Simpson’s paintings close what’s human out. Review by Alex Quicho
Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
'Vertigo Sea’ functions as an expanded visual essay. The brutal plurality of content within it, whaling; polar bear hunting; nuclear tests; slavery; migration; drowned boats, all converge into violent and unflinching images. Review by Philomena Epps
Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UX
Charlotte Prodger’s quavering voice is distinctive, with a strange, almost painfully self-conscious inflection. Hers is a voice that feels alien but wants to be heard. Review by Rowan Lear
Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
Long has made both an art and a science out of walking, and it is this tension between qualitative and quantitative modes of experiencing, measuring and representing the natural environment that is evident throughout the exhibition. Review by Joseph Constable
Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UX, United Kingdom
In the days before ‘Post-Production’ opened, I watched Cally Spooner in the familiar, inglorious throes of post-production itself, making final video edits...
Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
The evolution of language was originally believed to have a social function rather than an informational one and lends itself freely to song. Review by Rory Duckhouse
In Between Time, Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA
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Anneka French reviews (M)imosa/Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church (M) in our second review from In Between Time, Bristol. Her response to the performance is a personal one, exploring constructions and projections of identity.
In Between Time, Knowle West Media Centre and surrounding area, Leinster Avenue, Bristol BS4 1NL
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In the first of two reviews of Bristol's In Between Time festival, Bob Gelsthorpe reviews Nightwalks with Teenagers by Canadian artists Mammalian Diving Reflex on his own terms.
