What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 11am - 5pm Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11am - 5pm

Focal Point Gallery

Home
United Kingdom
Southend-on-Sea
Focal Point Gallery

Focal Point Gallery is South Essex’s gallery for contemporary visual art, promoting and commission

01/09/2026

We're hiring: Enterprise, Investment Cultural Programme Lead 📣

We are looking for an Enterprise, Investment and Cultural Programme Lead to join us at an exciting moment, as we look ahead to our 40th anniversary year with an ambitious artistic and civic programme. The role works across Focal Point Gallery and Southend Museums to maximise the opportunities of Southend’s cultural assets, identifying strategic cultural partnerships, funding opportunities, and attracting investment to support artists, creatives and our ambition to strengthen the city’s cultural offers, making it accessible to all.

The application deadline is Friday 2 October (midnight). For more information about the role and how to apply check the link in the comments🔗

28/08/2026

Behind four glass doors of our foyer cabinet a vivid neon-green interior sets the backgroind for multiple objects hang, creating a scene that feels part display case, part game environment. These objects connect to Rosie Ridgway's new interactive piece in Gallery 1 and represent the energy or strength a band member has remaining, much like a 'life bar' in a video game. Household items become game mechanics: they can multiply, decrease, disrupt play, or transform into accessories the band wears. They may also appear during chaos modes, when life gets in the way.

Ridgway’s practice pushes the boundaries of collaboration as an art form on its own terms. Unpredictable and unapologetically experimental, her practice is centred on enabling the creativity of others.

Come and visit Rosie Ridgway's solo exhibition 'Phantom Power' to explore more! The show is on until 12 September - we are open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 5pm. More info via link in comments 🔗

📷Anna Lukala

26/08/2026

📣Exhibition Preview
Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world
Saturday 26 September from 5pm to 8pm

We are delighted to invite you to the opening event for ‘Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world’, a group show exploring the impact of networked media on our collective mental wellbeing, on Saturday 26 September, 5pm to 8pm – everyone is welcome!

Led by a new commission and research from artists Romy Gad el Rab and Caroline Sinders, the exhibition features work by Helen Cammock, Nina Davies, Rebecca Moccia, Salvatore Vitale and Qualeasha Wood . The works and artists address the mechanisms by which digital platforms reshape our lives and wellbeing, while also inviting visitors to consider whether the alternative to our networked world might not be to simply switch off, but to switch on a different kind of thinking, where rest is both resistance and replenishment.

The exhibition will be on view from 30 September 2026 until 9 January 2027. Read more via link in the comments!

📷Nina Davies, ‘Haters Will Say I’m Real’ (video still), 2024. Courtesy the artist.

19/08/2026

Join us for the next session of Blank Slate, our group for 13 to 16 year olds, on Thursday 27 August, 4:30pm!

Led by artist Craig Hallums () this workshop will explore character illustration through self-portraiture with artist Craig Hallums. You will learn practical drawing techniques and discuss how you can build and create stories using pen, paper and your imagination!

To book your space, head to the link in our bio🎫

📷Sean Buckley ()

14/08/2026

📢 Big Screen Summer Cinema 2026: Sing!

Do not miss Matilda the Musical (2016) on the Big Screen tomorrow, Saturday 15 August! Activities inside Focal Point Gallery from 2pm for all the family 🖍️

Screening starts at 3pm - it is free and open to all! Bring your own chair or blanket to sit on the pavement or grass, respectively.

Find out more about our Big Screen Summer Cinema events via the link in our bio. 🔗

This programme has been selected in response to The Reading Agency's annual summer reading challenge. A collaboration with Universal Music Group UK, Read to the Beat!
With thanks to The White Bus

12/08/2026

To coincide with the launch of Elleanna Chapman’s () new public artwork, Do Somethin’, the artist has released a limited-edition series of collectible compact mirrors. Replacing the eyes of Beyoncé and Britney with those of the viewer, each mirror bears the imperative Do Somethin’, both the title of the commission and a direct call to action.

Continuing Chapman’s exploration of celebrity, identity and popular culture, this new commission reimagines familiar icons through unexpected visual pairings. Drawing on found imagery, rhinestones and nostalgic references, the work reflects the artist’s working-class Essex upbringing, where diamantés, kitsch ornaments and Britney Spears were celebrated without irony.

Visit the gallery or head to the link in bio find out more and purchase your edition. ✨

11/08/2026

🔊 Join us for a special Touch Talk Tour with Sound Scribe!

We are delighted to be working with Sound Scribe and invite you to join us on Monday 24 August, 2pm to 4:30pm, for a special event alongside Rosie Ridgway's exhibition 'Phantom Power'. The afternoon will include a touch tour of selected artworks, followed by a Q&A exploring recorded Audio Description Guides and how they can enrich the gallery experience.

Come and meet the team and the artist behind the project, ask questions, explore the exhibition and discover more about how we are working to make the gallery experience more accessible to all. 👋

For more info please see link in the comments 🔗

📷 Amber Merry

06/08/2026

📢 Big Screen Summer Cinema 2026: Matilda the Musical

Do not miss Matilda the Musical (2022) on the Big Screen this Saturday 8 August! Activities inside Focal Point Gallery from 2pm for all the family 🖍️

Screening starts at 3pm - it is free and open to all! Bring your own chair or blanket to sit on the pavement or grass, respectively.

Find out more about our Big Screen Summer Cinema events via the link in the comments🔗

This programme has been selected in response to The Reading Agency's () annual summer reading challenge. A collaboration with Universal Music Group UK, Read to the Beat!
With thanks to The White Bus ()

02/08/2026

For the exhibition 'Phantom Power' Rosie Ridgway has transformed Gallery 2 into an impromptu music rehearsal room to be used by the visitors. Whether you create music solo or collaborate with others, the space invites experimentation, connection and play. Exploring bands and the collective making experience, Ridgway draws upon the unpredictability of human interaction within an imperfect world.

Come in, experiment, perform and discover!

'Phantom Power', a solo exhibition by Rosie Ridgway is on until 12 September. We are open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 5pm

Head to the link in the bio to find out more 🔗

📷Photo: Anna Lukala

30/07/2026

📣Coming Soon!
Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world
Opens on Saturday 26 September, 5pm to 8pm
30 September 2026 – 9 January 2027

We are excited to announce 'Compulsory Continuous Connectedness: rest in a networked world', a group show exploring the impact of networked media on our collective mental wellbeing. Led by a new commission and research from artists Romy Gad el Rab and Caroline Sinders, the exhibition features work by Helen Cammock, Nina Davies, Rebecca Moccia, Salvatore Vitale and Qualeasha Wood. The works and artists address the mechanisms by which digital platforms reshape our lives and wellbeing, while also inviting visitors to consider whether the alternative to our networked world might not be to simply switch off, but to switch on a different kind of thinking, where rest is both resistance and replenishment.

Read more about the exhibition via link in the comments 🔗

📷
1) Salvatore Vitale, 'untitled' from the series 'Death by GPS', 2022–26. Courtesy the artist.
2) Nina Davies, 'Haters Will Say I’m Real' (video still), 2024. Courtesy the artist.
3) Qualeasha Wood, 'a flaw in my code', 2025. Courtesy the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London

Address

Southend-on-Sea
SS11NB

Opening Hours

Wednesday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm

Telephone

+441702534108

Website

https://www.fpg.org.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Focal Point Gallery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Southend-on-Sea?