Gillian Ayres, Helios, 1990, oil on canvas © the artist's estate

The Box Plymouth launches ‘Summer of Expression’ with major exhibitions and celebration of young creativity

Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026 finalist The Box Plymouth is inviting audiences from across the South West to enjoy a vibrant ‘Summer of Expression’ featuring new exhibitions, family-friendly activities and inspiring displays showcasing the region’s creative talent.

At the heart of the season are two major shows:Echoes of Us (20 June-20 September) and Gillian Ayres: A Life in Colour (4 July-4 October). Together, they explore the power of creativity, connection and self-expression while highlighting the South West's rich artistic heritage.

National treasures and local voices

Featuring a powerful selection of works from the Government Art Collection – one of the world's largest and most dispersed collections of British art – Echoes of Us brings together historic and contemporary works grouped around the three themes of ‘Belonging’, ‘Memory’ and ‘Connection’. Spanning more than 300 years of art, the exhibition includes works by internationally renowned artists including Barbara Hepworth, Cornelia Parker and Chris Ofili alongside contemporary voices such as Phoebe Boswell, Alvaro Barrington and Alberta Whittle.

Importantly, the exhibition has been shaped through a year-long programme of workshops and conversations with young people from Plymouth, whose ideas and perspectives have helped inform its themes and interpretation. Works from The Box's art collection, including a painting by Devon-based George Shaw and an etching by Cornwall-based Denzil Forrester, are also featured.

Victoria Pomery, CEO at The Box said: “This partnership has created a unique opportunity for The Box to share the significance of the Government Art Collection’s historic, modern and contemporary holdings with audiences here in Plymouth and the wider region. Working alongside our young people’s group to co-curate the exhibition has been such an interesting process, enabling them and us to bring fresh perspectives to an internationally important art collection.”

Alongside the exhibition, visitors can also experience a new British Film Institute-supported commission by filmmaker and visual artist Jordan Baseman in The Box's Media Lab. Pro Grip (How to be Humans) (23 June-21 October) combines footage from the 1990 UK Arm Wrestling Championships with an original interview with psychologist Dr Gray Atherton from the University of Plymouth, reflecting on how humans use movement, gestures and facial expressions to communicate and bond.

A celebration of a South West artistic pioneer

Gillian Ayres: A Life in Colour explores the life, workand legacy of one of Britain's most influential abstract painters.

Bringing together 26 works spanning seven decades, the exhibition traces Ayres' fearless experimentation with colour and form, from an early painting she created as a teenager to monumental works from the later stages of her career.

The exhibition highlights the deep connection to the landscapes and rural life of South West England that were an enduring source of inspiration for Ayres' who lived in the village of Morwenstow on the North Cornwall/North Devon border from 1987 until her death in 2018. It also explores her role as a pioneering female artist and educator who forged an extraordinary career in a post-war art world largely dominated by men.

Hannah Hooks, contemporary art curator, at The Box said: “Gillian Ayres was a formidable and brilliant artist whose fearless commitment to painting is something to be celebrated. She remained entirely faithful to painting as it went in and out of fashion over the course of her long career and the works she produced are testament to her unwavering commitment. The fact that she isn’t better known by more people is something we hope to change with this exhibition.”

Alongside A Life in Colour, visitors can discover In the Making, a display celebrating the 170th anniversary of Arts University Plymouth (AUP). Drawing on archive material and artworks, it reflects on the city's long-standing commitment to creative education and the people, places and practice that have made AUP a much loved and consistent pillar of life in Britain's Ocean City.

Spotlight on young creativity

Another key feature of The Box’s ‘Summer of Expression’ is Where’s Your Head At? (4 July-4 October) which will spotlight the winners and selected entries to a Children and Young People's Open that ran earlier this year. Children and young people aged 0-25 from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset were invited to submit work inspired by the theme of ‘Art and Emotion’. The winners will be revealed at a launch event on Thursday 2 July.

Little Lights shine across The Box

Families visiting The Box this summer will also encounter Little Lights (7 July-13 September), a colourful display of 42 1-metre-high lighthouse sculptures. Designed and decorated by local schoolchildren as part of St Luke's Hospice’s ‘Guiding Lights’ project, the sculptures will be installed throughout The Box’s main building, bringing a sense of discovery and fun to its galleries while celebrating community creativity and one of Plymouth's best-known landmarks.

Creative summer events

The ‘Summer of Expression’ also includes exhibition tours, artist-led events and hands-on activities for families designed to encourage visitors of all ages to explore their own creativity.

More information about all The Box’s exhibitions, displays and events can be found at www.theboxplymouth.com.