Image: Royal West of England Academy, London
The Royal West of England Academy in Bristol is staging 'Dance Out', an exhibition that brings together paintings, drawings and film inspired by dance and social movement, with a live programme of events running alongside it through 9 August 2026. The show opened on 9 May and is presented in the RWA’s main daylit galleries, which the institution says will “shape-shift” over the course of the exhibition to host a series of dance and dance-related events.
Curated by David Remfry RA and art historian James Russell, 'Dance Out' spans decades of dance culture, connecting 20th-century London and New York with Bristol’s contemporary nightlife. The RWA describes the exhibition as celebrating dance as an everyday human activity, both solitary and social, and presents it as a cross-disciplinary display rather than a conventional hang of paintings alone. The gallery’s own website lists the venue as RWA, Queen’s Road, Bristol, with admission from free to 99 kr.
The exhibition features work by David Remfry RA, whose large-scale dancefloor watercolours have been shown in galleries around the world, alongside Denzil Forrester’s rarely seen 'Blue Tent', which captures the energy of 1980s Black British nightlife. Other artists named by the RWA include Paul Dash and John Lyons, whose works draw on Carnival, as well as Amy Dury, Dame Paula Rego DBE RA, Zoe Spowage and Melanie Manchot. The exhibition also includes short films by Tracey Emin RA and Gillian Wearing CBE RA, which the RWA says reflect on the personal and social importance of dance and nightclub culture.
A newly commissioned film installation by Melanie Manchot, 'Night Moves', is due to premiere in the exhibition, and RWA Academician Dorcas Casey has created a new large-scale sculptural work hanging in the dome over the RWA landing. The academy says Casey’s piece references Morris dance culture and folklore. The exhibition’s lead image is credited to David Remfry RA, 'Dancers', 2001.
The RWA is also using the show to activate parts of the building itself. A fully accessible haptic Beat Blocks dancefloor has been installed in the main gallery, transforming sound frequencies into felt vibrations and pairing the display with a curated soundtrack mixed by DJ d4rling, featuring mixes by Josephine Gyasi and DJ Devolicious. The institution says this combination of artwork, sound and movement is intended to extend the exhibition beyond static display.
Several public events are scheduled during the run of 'Dance Out'. On 30 July, 'After Hours: Dance Out Special' will turn the galleries into a dance party hosted by DJ Devolicious, darling FM and Josephine Gyasi. On 5 August, the free 'Family Bollywood Dance Workshop' led by Sayambrita Mukherjee will take place in the Main Galleries. A participatory performance, 'Many Minds perform...Dance In', is set for 7 August, created by Many Minds members with lived experience of mental ill-health and little to no dance experience. The exhibition closes on 9 August 2026.
