Aspex Portsmouth (also known as "Aspex") is a

contemporary visual art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is ...

gallery located in the

Gunwharf Quays Gunwharf Quays is a shopping centre located in the Portsea Island, Portsea area of the city of Portsmouth in England. It was constructed in the early 21st century on the site of what had once been HM Gunwharf, Portsmouth. This was one of severa ...

area of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. Formed in 1981 as the exhibitions arm of Art Space Portsmouth in a converted chapel in Brougham Road, Southsea, the gallery became a separate legal entity in the early 1990s. It then moved to The Vulcan Building (a former

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

storehouse) in Gunwharf Quays in 2006. The name 'Aspex' is derived from 'Art Space Exhibitions'. Art Space Portsmouth, who provide studio space to local artists, continue to be based at the Brougham Road site. The gallery specialises in supporting artists at the early stages of their career. Notable artists that have exhibited at the gallery include Richard Wilson in 1983 and Helen Chadwick. The work exhibited by Chadwick, ''Ego Geometria Sum'', is now part of the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

collection. In 2003 the gallery announced the first ''Emergency'' award, an open submission exhibition that would take place every two years, to be judged by a panel of artists, gallerists and curators. The first shortlist exhibition featured several artists who are now of some renown, including David Blandy, Juneau Projects and the eventual winner Susan Collis. Aspex was instrumental in bringing

Heather and Ivan Morison Heather and Ivan Morison are a Welsh artist duo known for their conceptual and performative public artworks. The duo, Heather Peak (born 1973) and Ivan Morison (born 1974), are based in North Wales. Work In 2007 they grew and then distributed 10 ...

's 'Luna Park' to Portsmouth in August 2010, in conjunction with Chapter, Cardiff, firstsite, Colchester and Safle. Part of the installation was "

Ultrasauros ''Supersaurus'' (meaning "super lizard") is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. The type species, ''S. vivianae'', was first discovered by Vivian Jones of Delta, Colorado, in the ...

", a 53-foot recreation of the dinosaur of the same name on Southsea Common.

References

External links

official site
{{authority control Art museums and galleries established in 1981 Art museums and galleries in Hampshire Contemporary art galleries in England Modern art museums Exempt charities Charities based in Hampshire