Aspex

Aspex is a contemporary art gallery and charity in the Vulcan Building at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. It began in 1981 as Art Space Portsmouth's exhibitions arm in a converted chapel in Southsea, becoming an independent charity in the early 1990s before moving to its current former Royal Navy storehouse premises in 2006. The gallery focuses on supporting artists early in their careers; past exhibitors who showed with Aspex before wider recognition include Cornelia Parker, Mona Hatoum and Richard Wilson. Alongside a changing programme of exhibitions and community projects, the building houses a shop selling prints, artist-made gifts and homeware, and an independently run café. Entry to the gallery is free, with donations invited. Aspex is open Wednesday to Sunday, with extended hours until 8pm on the third Thursday of the month for evening events. Now in its fifth decade, it remains one of Portsmouth's few dedicated contemporary art spaces run independently of the city's council museums.