MK Gallery

in 2004, Michael Craig-Martin's exhibition 'Surfacing' opened at MK Gallery.

In the gallery Craig-Martin presented a selection of new work made specifically for the exhibition. Known for his sweeping, brightly coloured canvases that depict a repertoire of everyday objects, his art is one of maximum economy and maximum impact.

The exterior of the building had been painted in one of Craig-Martin’s ‘signature’ colours – a striking magenta hue. On the main entrance façade the artist painted an immense, empty, turquoise drawer – a pictorial reference to both the structure and the function of the gallery.

Discover more through our Exhibitions Archive: https://mkgallery.org/about/exhibitions/

Last chance to see!

Our summer exhibition, MK Calling 2024, closes this week. The show features artworks spanning sculpture, painting, photography, installation and film. Over 120 established and emerging artists explore themes including identity, inclusivity, possible futures, heritage, and significant moments across five thematic gallery spaces.

📅 Open until Sunday 29 September
🎟️ https://bit.ly/mk-calling-2024

Photo by Rob Harris

Looking for a fun activity for yourself or a perfect gift for a friend?

Join one of our workshops and learn from our expert Associate Artists while exploring new exhibition, Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour.

Choose from ceramic plate painting, lino printing, life drawing, Christmas wreath making, or painting while sipping in our cozy café.

🎟️ https://bit.ly/mkgworkshops

Everyone at MK Gallery is shocked and saddened to hear the news about Robin Bradburn, leader of the Liberal Democrats opposition group on Milton Keynes City Council.

He was a terrific champion of arts and culture across the city and will be hugely missed by all of us. We send our sincere condolences to Robin's family and friends.

Milton Keynes council group leader dies at Lib Dem conference A minute's silence was held for Robin Bradburn at the party conference in Brighton.

Vanessa Bell’s designs created by the Omega Workshops rejected Edwardian tastes by emphasising bright colour and expressive decoration.

They were anti-refinement and anti-expense, aiming to blur the distinction between fine and decorative arts. The pose of the figure on the right of the screen echoes n**e photographs Bell took of her friend, the writer Molly MacCarthy, with one arm twisting upwards.

Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour opens at MK Gallery on Saturday 19 October. The exhibition will provide an overview spanning Bell’s illustrious career, including over 120 items.

📅 Opens Saturday 19 October
🎟️ https://bit.ly/mk-vanessa-bell

Image: Vanessa Bell, Design for a folding screen - Adam and Eve, 1913-14. Photo © The Courtauld / © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2024 / Bridgeman Images.

Don't miss your chance to visit MK Calling 2024 ✨

This year’s MK Calling features artworks spanning sculpture, painting, photography, installation and film.

Over 120 established and emerging artists explore themes including identity, inclusivity, possible futures, heritage, and significant moments across five thematic gallery spaces.

🗓️ Open until Sunday 29 September
🎟️ https://bit.ly/mk-calling-2024

Photo by Rob Harris

New exhibition in the MK Gallery Project Space!

Over the last 9 months, the ARioT group has worked with MK Gallery's Associate Artists to create an inspiring collection of works. Each piece draws inspiration from every exhibition hosted at MK Gallery since January this year.

Visit 'Calling ARioT' now through the end of September in the MK Gallery Project Space.

🗓️ Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
🎟️ FREE entry

ARioT is MK Gallery's programme for 14-18-year-olds, which offers opportunities to work together to explore materials, process and ideas while making new friends in a welcoming and supportive environment.

There are less than two months to go until the opening of Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour at MK Gallery 🎨

The exhibition will provide an overview spanning Vanessa Bell’s illustrious career, including over 120 items.

📅 Opens Saturday 19 October
🎟️ https://bit.ly/mk-vanessa-bell

Image: Vanessa Bell, Conversation Piece, 1912 © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. University of Hull Art Collection.

This week at the Sky Room Cinema, Q:alliance present a special screening of Luca Guadagnino's modern classic Call Me By Your Name 🍑✨

In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.

📅 Fri 13 & Sun 15 Sep
⏰ 7pm & 10.30am
🎟️ https://bit.ly/3B0KOxE

Our Autumn/Winter 2024 adult creative learning workshops are on sale now 🎨✨

Inspired by our upcoming Vanessa Bell: Form and Colour exhibition (19 October 2024 - 23 February 2025) choose from still life painting, ceramic plate painting, lino printing and life drawing.

🎟️ https://bit.ly/mkgworkshops

Image: Painting by Liddy Parry from Something Less Boring, inspired by Bell's still life with Dahlias, Chrysanthemums and Begonias.

There are just three weeks left to visit MK Calling 2024 ✨

To celebrate 25 years at the heart of Milton Keynes’ art and culture scene, we have partnered with five local community groups to co-curate this year’s open call summer exhibition.

This year’s MK Calling features artworks spanning sculpture, painting, photography, installation and film.

Over 120 established and emerging artists explore themes including identity, inclusivity, possible futures, heritage, and significant moments across five thematic gallery spaces.

📅 Open until Sunday 29 September
🎟️ Tickets: https://bit.ly/mk-calling-2024

Photos by Chris Henley

Join us for the final MK Gallery Late of MK Calling 2024! ✨🌙

Explore the exhibition after hours featuring a new live dance performance by artist Hannah Pickett, and savour drinks in the café.

Hannah Pickett Dance: Fluke
Fluke is an improvised music and dance piece. Watch dancers react, complement and contrast to create an in the moment artwork with unlimited possibilities. This experimental dance work is supported by sound from Iain Paxon and directed by Hannah Pickett.

📆 Friday 6 September
⏰️ 6-9pm
🎟️ £3 advance or on the door
🏫 MK Gallery, 900 Midsummer Blvd, MK9 3QA

https://mkgallery.org/event/mk-gallery-late/

Our upcoming Vanessa Bell exhibition has been featured in the Guardian's 'best exhibitions for autumn 2024' 🗞️

Jonathan Jones writes: "The physical world is a mystery to be explored in Bell’s pioneering modern art. The Bloomsbury group to which she belonged were among the first people in Britain to see and appreciate French modernists such as Cézanne and Picasso. Bell is inspired by them to see the majesty of small things."

Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour opens at MK Gallery on Saturday 19 October. Learn more and book your tickets: https://mkgallery.org/event/vanessa-bell/

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/aug/28/van-gogh-rego-best-exhibitions-autumn-2024

From Van Gogh to Le Va, Rego to the Renaissance: the best exhibitions for autumn 2024 From this year’s Turner prize and pioneering scatter art to Monet’s London and Goya’s surreal visions – there’s something for all art lovers

September's films at the Sky Room Cinema are on sale now! 🎬🍿

Highlights this month include Kneecap, Sky Peals, It Ends with Us, Black Dog and Sing Sing.

View the full programme and book your tickets: https://bit.ly/sky-room-cinema

The fifth and final gallery in MK Calling 2024, curated by Q:alliance is themed around 'First Steps' 👣

Q:alliance selected artworks which mark new beginnings. The group spent time discussing which work they wanted to choose, putting an emphasis on collective decision-making.

The gallery features artwork by ANDI, Sadie Aston, Jared Boechler, Sophia Chapman, Karen J Clements, Gayle Charlotte Dallas, Davies Monaghan & Klein, Darcey Fleming, Alethia Hayden, Cara Heath, Daisy Jones, Georgina McNamara, Guy Morris, Stella Ouzounidou, Tina Reid, Kathy Santiago, Mat Scott, Ellie Shipman, Jenny Staff, Lisa Tilley, Sarah Watts and Natasha Wysocki-Douglas.

Photos by Rob Harris

Taking the Stage is back at MK Gallery this autumn! 🎭

Supporting and celebrating women playwrights, this third edition of the festival will showcase an exciting lineup of new plays, discussions and talks.

With an exciting and inspiring lineup, Taking the Stage will include a keynote speech from leading British playwright Winsome Pinnock, a headlining play from Suzette C**n and a talk from Lesley Gannon from The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain on how to protect your intellectual property.

The four-day festival will take place from Wednesday 16 - Saturday 19 October.

https://mkgallery.org/2024/08/13/taking-the-stage-returns-to-mk-gallery/

Exciting announcement! ✨

Celebrate six years of MK Gallery’s multi-award-winning Inclusive Practice in the Arts (IPA) programme through our Explore, Create, Play: IPA Autumn Symposium.

🙌 This site-wide takeover of MK Gallery will showcase a diverse range of projects and partnerships through interactive practice-sharing and open discussions with participants, partners, artists and the IPA team.

We invite anyone interested in inclusive practice to come along and join us, including gallery and museum practitioners, supported studios, artists, teachers, and parents/carers.

🗓️ Friday 1 November, 10am - 5pm
📍 MK Gallery, Milton Keynes
🎟️ Early bird tickets on sale now!

https://mkgallery.org/event/explore-create-play-ipa-autumn-symposium/

The fourth gallery in MK Calling 2024, curated by the Middle Eastern Cultural Group, is themed around 'Third Culture Creatives' 🌍

The Middle Eastern Cultural Group wanted to explore the experience of growing up between cultures. The group were inspired by the artworks and creative writing exploring the Third Culture experience.

The gallery features artwork by Nuha Al Hashimi, JMC Anderson, Moe Asari, Sophia Bharmal, Nazira Bibi, Helen Birnbaum Ceramics, James Bristow, Anna Brownsted, Helen Clarke, Sue Cohen, Khulood Dami, Vera Doarme, Dionne Elizabeth, Sofia Fox Barton, Manuel Hechavarria Zaldivar, Nour Huda, Yang-En Hume, Helen Jones, Sagar Kharecha, Akrivi Koukouli, Kwinnie Le, Dene Leigh, Chris Madeley, Ana Maria Lima Dimitrijevic, Nhlonipho Mchunu, Tahira Noreen, Chinwe Osaghae, Ghosson Rahhal, Eliza Rawlings, Emma Ogawa Todd, Mita Vaghela, Ruqaya Wajdi, Xinan Yang anf Soon Yul Kang.

Photos by Rob Harris

We’re hiring! Could you be our new Events Coordinator?

The Events Coordinator will support the Head of Events and Catering in meeting and exceeding annual sales targets for hires by delivering high-calibre events at MK Gallery.

The Gallery has secured additional funding to create a full-time role for 18 months, to work collaboratively with the Milton Keynes City Council and the Economic Development team to build partnerships with the City’s private sector.

This is an 18-month fixed-term contract with the potential for an extension.

Applications deadline: Monday 26 August 2024.

Learn more about the role and apply here: https://mkgallery.livevacancies.co.uk/ #/job/details/39

☀️ This Summer, join our Inclusive Practice in the Arts team along with artists Emily and Rachel for a special Art Together experience!

On Thursday 29 August, we're hosting two creative workshops just for children with additional and complex needs, and their families. Come and play, create, and explore in a welcoming space made for everyone.

Spaces are limited, so be sure to pre-book! Contact Rosie at [email protected] or call 01908 558 315. 🎨✨

This month is 🌏

Our 2023/24 exhibition, Beyond the Page: South Asian Miniature Painting and Britain 1600 to Now, demonstrated how the traditions of South Asian miniature painting have been reclaimed and reinvented by modern and contemporary artists.

Beyond the Page was curated by Hammad Nasar and Anthony Spira with advice from Emily Hannam. The exhibition was organised by MK Gallery in partnership with The Box, Plymouth.

Discover more about the show: https://bit.ly/btpmk

Image: Nusra Latif Qureshi, Did You Come Here to Find History? (installation view). Photo by Rob Harris.

The third gallery in MK Calling 2024, curated by the Unknown Collective, is themed around 'Possible Unknowns' 💭

The Unknown Collective were formed by MK Gallery for this project. Members had worked with us on previous projects making zines, and curating Project Space exhibitions.

The curatorial group were interested in creating a space where the audience feel uncomfortable and are drawn into the mystery of the artworks on display.

The gallery features artwork by Aoccho, Polly Bates, Benjamin Bird, Thomas Eke, Daura Campos, Helen Clarke, Liz Clifford, Imo Dunkley, Steve Dutton, Dimitra Gkoutzou, Carol He, Gity Jamei, Kishwar Kiani, Alana Lake, Jamie Lee, Yingfei Lyu, Nicola McEvoy, Rosa-Maria Nuutinen, Hannah Pickett Dance, Reaa Puri, Shunshun Qi, Gill Quinnell, Ricardo Sleiman, Emily Stapleton-Jefferis, Ruth Switalski and Sebastian Thomas.

Photos by Rob Harris

We stand in solidarity with all victims of discrimination and with those who seek an equal, just and non-violent society.

We share the anguish expressed by so many about the current race riots and believe that our society is richer because of its diversity. Cultural organisations in MK have a long-established commitment to creating equitable, safe places for discussion through art and creativity.

As public organisations, we recognise our responsibility to provide meaningful and relevant experiences for everyone. In these difficult times, we find hope through the power of creativity: art expresses the human experiences that unite us all.

Join tour guide Robin Clements on Saturday 7 September for an Audio-described tour of MK Calling 2024!

This is the second of our Audio-described tour offers for this exhibition, exploring a new selection of artworks through in-depth descriptions and hand-held touch elements.

This experience is suitable for those who are blind or partially sighted, and their companions.

https://mkgallery.org/event/audio-described-tour-mk-calling-2024-2/

Our Inclusive Practice in the Arts team and artist Julia Collar had an amazing time working with students from the VI department at St. Paul's Catholic School! Together, we helped them create interactive sensory tours based on their favourite artworks in MK Calling 2024 🎨✨

The students then shared their tours with the local VI community, including the MK Calling VI curation group and families connected to VICTA. 🌟