The Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth

Originally situated in a small side street of Southsea, the Aspex Gallery was able to move to grander surroundings in December 2006. It is now housed on the ground floor of the imposing Vulcan Building in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. Gunwharf Quays is a shopping complex that also has a cinema, bowling alley, various eateries on the waterfront, and a hotel; it attracts crowds of visitors from surrounding areas such as the Isle of Wight, Gosport, Fareham, Hayling Island, Petersfield and Havant as well as the inhabitants of Portsmouth itself and Southsea. Such a location is a prestigious one.

The gallery, however, is not particularly easy to find. Once in Gunwharf, head to your left in an easterly direction and look out for the Loch Fynne Restaurant, also in part of the Vulcan Building. Follow the path between Loch Fynne and Cafe Rouge, and then turn right into the Vulcan's courtyard; you should then see the Aspex Gallery on the left.

I visited the gallery just after five o'clock one Saturday afternoon and was dismayed to find that I was the only visitor, although a young couple did come in while I was there. The gallery closes at 6pm, and it may be that it had been busier earlier in the day, or that it attracts more visitors on weekdays, with weekenders being more interested in shopping or the movies.

The gallery comprises an exhibition area, an educational area, a glass-fronted room offering resources for local artists, a coffee shop, and a shop selling jewellery, crafts, art magazines, ceramics, artists' prints and greetings cards. Aspex presents exhibitions of the work of contemporary artists from both Portsmouth and the international scene. At the time of my visit, the biennial 'Emergency' exhibition was showing; it is open to artists the world over, and one of the chosen few is later given the opportunity of a solo exhibition. There was certainly a diverse range of media on show, from the figurative but bordering-on-abstract canvases of Paul Becker through the quasi-erotic prints of Benjamin Senior to the impressive group of totem-like wood sculptures of Cathy Ward and Eric Wright. I did, however, feel that perhaps a slightly greater number of artists could have been given an opportunity to showcase their work here, as several of the artists were exhibiting more than one piece.

But Aspex is more than just a gallery. It is part of the 'arc' or Artists' Resource Centre network that extends across south-east England, providing support for practising artists in the local area. This support can take the form of one-to-one surgeries, use of the computers and journals in Aspex's resource centre, discussion groups with fellow artists, or presentations on methods of practice or current opportunities for artists. Such networking and support could be of crucial importance to artists in the early stages of their career, especially for example when they have recently graduated and find themselves on their own, trying to make their way without the support and facilities of an educational establishment.

Children of school age can also participate here in holiday and Saturday clubs. Schools and colleges are able to plan group visits, and talks and tours are organized from time to time for both specialists in the field and those who wish to find out more about contemporary art. It is even possible to hire the gallery for events such as cocktail parties or product launches.

If you are looking for a quiet place in Gunwharf Quays to enjoy lunch or coffee away from the crowds, the Aspex coffee shop would be ideal. Kids' Art Lunch Boxes with organic drinks and activity sheets are available there. It also from time to time hosts film screenings and performances.

The Aspex Gallery is situated on the ground floor and is accessible to disabled visitors; guide dogs are welcome. Aspex allows breast feeding, and baby-changing facilities are available in the toilet by the Education Studio.

Opening hours from Tuesday to Friday are from 11am until 6pm, and on Sunday from noon until 5pm. The gallery is closed on Monday.

If you are travelling by rail, alight at Portsmouth Harbour Station; Gunwharf Quays is just five minutes' walk from here. By road, take the M27 and then the M275 into Portsmouth; Gunwharf Quays Car Park is clearly signposted along the way.

Information on forthcoming exhibitions and events is available at the website: www.aspex.org.uk .

Aspex

The Vulcan Building

Gunwharf Quays

Portsmouth

PO1 3BF

Contemporary Arts in Bristol

My second visit to Bristol was on a decidedly damp Saturday afternoon, so we were looking for places to spend some time inside. Having walked down the steep slope of Park Street and not being in any hurry to go back up, I suggested that the Arnolfini arts centre might not be too much further to walk. Situated on Bristol's Harbourside, it is easily reached by walking along the quayside from The Centre. From the south you can get there by crossing the swing bridge on Prince Street. Admission is free, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in the arts.

The Arnolfini has no permanent collection of artworks, so exhibitions change from time to time. At the time of my visit there was a display described as an 'interactive shopping experience' entitled 'Far West'. Although not exactly my cup of tea, there was a degree of variety and an opportunity for visitors to participate in certain sections of the show – a particularly good idea during the school holidays. On the ground floor, for example, visitors could create paper fruits from templates; these could then be purchased or exchanged for a real piece of fruit. The paper fruits were exhibited in a stall similar to the way they would be in a market. In the same gallery, a number of unfinished paintings by artist Lui Ding are on sale at a price of £100 each; the idea was to complete the painting at home in whatever way you wished. Most of them featured trees or parts of a landscape. I'm afraid we didn't buy one, but it's a fascinating concept.

One of the busiest and apparently most popular areas of the exhibition was Yoko Ono's 'Mend Piece – for Merry England' on the first floor. Donations of unwanted or broken crockery are handed in by visitors, who are then invited to create a new item or miniature work of art from the fragments that are available. A gift is offered in exchange, although I'm afraid I don't know what this would be. The creations made by visitors are put on display and are worth taking a close look at: there are the purely abstract pieces amidst attempts at creating fish, faces, bodies, all sorts. In the same gallery, we admired Philippe Parreno and Pierre Huyghe's 'Skin of Light', a neon depiction of AnnLee, a character originally created by Japanese Manga illustrators.

The Arnolfini spans three floors and has a series of small but well-lit galleries whose walls are normally painted white. (Some of them are currently covered in a garish blue wallpaper featuring over-sized bunches of flowers as part of the 'Far West' display.) The ground floor also houses a shop offering a good selection of art books (including exhibition catalogues), greetings cards and postcards, as well as a selection of artists' prints and limited editions. The shop is open until 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, until 8pm Thursday to Sunday. There is a cafe bar which we did not visit; on fine days you can sit outside and have lunch (salad and pasta) or a drink and something light to eat, but it wasn't the weather for that on the occasion I was there. Fairtrade tea, coffee and hot chocolate are served along with organic produce. The cafe is open from 10am until 11pm Tuesday to Saturday, and until 10.30pm on Sundays.

On the top floor of the Arnolfini you will find a reading room with back catalogues and a wide selection of art magazines as well as books. We even noticed a copy of the 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' DVD which you could watch on a computer, so if it's pouring down and your children are on holiday, you could kill a little time here.

On Saturday 16th August 2008, the Saturday following my visit, the periodic 'Mash Up', a family-friendly event with workshops, activities and storytelling was due to take place. I'm not sure how often this 'Mash Up' occurs, but details can be found on Arnolfini's website.

Exhibition tours take place every Saturday at 2pm, and are led by an artist. Booking is not necessary; you just turn up at the information desk.

Events at Arnolfini are by no means confined to the visual arts. There is a theatre/cinema on the premises, and details of film showings and theatrical performances can be found at Arnolfini's website. The Bristol Poetry Festival is an annual event taking place in September with readings by contemporary poets such as Simon Armitage, and a poetry slam between Liverpool and Bristol. This type of event, however, is not always free; check the Arnolfini website for ticket prices.

The upper floors of the Arnolfini can be reached by either stairs or a lift, and there seemed to be quite a few people wheeling buggies around on the top floor. Toilets are available on the top floor as well as adjacent to the cafe on the ground floor, where there are also baby-changing facilities.

Considered as one of Europe's leading centres for the contemporary arts, the Arnolfini is worthy of a visit by anyone interested in visual art, film, poetry, or dance. It is, however, closed on Mondays, except for Bank Holidays. You can sign up at Arnolfini's website for their newsletter to be sent to you by either email or post; since events and displays are only temporary, this will enable you to plan a visit to suit your particular interests.

Arnolfini

16 Narrow Quay

Bristol

BS1 4QA

www.arnolfini.org.uk

Tel. 0117 9172300/01

Email: boxoffice@arnolfini.org.uk