ART lovers are being urged to hop on to a gallery with a difference behind a Fishponds cafe.
The gallery, run by non-profit group Circular ArtSpace, is in an old double decker bus that has been transformed into an exhibition space, with paintings, drawings and sculptures on display.
Based in Crafty Egg cafe’s car park, off Fishponds Road, it is the idea of Guglielmo Ardizzone and partner Tamara Garofalo, who run Circular ArtSpace, a community interest company set up to provide affordable spaces and events for “emergent and under-represented” artists.
They came up with the idea of transforming a bus into an exhibition space after struggling to find a venue in the area.
A previous bid to set up an outdoor gallery in Eastville Park was left in limbo after the council’s Future Parks initiative was wound up.
The first bus exhibition opened in December, featuring 20 artists from Bristol, Bath and the wider region.
The gallery opens from 11am to 4pm on Wednesdays to Sundays, with a new exhibition planned for February.
Guglielmo said: “Each month will offer different events and exhibitions to give the local community time to have a look and give the artists an opportunity to sell their paintings.
“Visitors can drop in to an exhibition and if they like a painting they can buy it, with the money going directly to the artist.”
Circular ArtSpace, which also runs virtual exhibitions online at circularartspace.co.uk, plans to run art fairs and shows in the car park during the summer.
A fundraising campaign will also be launched to provide disabled access to the bus gallery.
Among the first artists exhibiting is James Seywell, who is based in Totterdown.
James, who paints using acrylics and oils, has been working professionally for about four years and displayed at a number of galleries around the city.
He said: “This is the most unusual space I’ve exhibited in. It’s mad creating an art gallery out of a bus.
“I think it’s great seeing it in the flesh – there’s a lot of natural light and you can see the work really well. Even at night the lights work really nicely.”
