Explorers at Artlink Hull | 87 Gallery

Part of being an Explorer means that every week, we critically and creatively investigate art work in the gallery, and from the world outside of the gallery connected to our key words and subjects for the current term. Last term at Gallery Explorers, our key word for learning was ‘Fragility’. Beginning with an investigation of the exhibition Deep Unknowns by Maria Donnai, over 10 weeks we used molding and casting from natural objects and personal possessions with alginate and jesmonite (pictured here), photography, cardboard sculpture and 3D scanning to explore the physical properties of materials, interpretations of strength and vulnerability, and ecological balance. A new term begins tomorrow evening, Wednesday 6th May - enrol now by heading to the link in our bio. Follow @87explorers for highlights and outcomes across our Explorers programme taking place in exciting spaces here at Artlink Hull | 87 Gallery and across the city.

Enrolment is open now for our popular Gallery and Photography Explorers groups, starting next week here at Artlink Hull | 87 Gallery: Gallery Explorers Wednesdays for 7-11s 4.30-6pm / 12-16s 6.30-8pm Develop fundamental skills from observational drawing and 3D work through to experimentation with video, sound and new technologies. ➕ Gain insight into creative careers through collaboration with local and national artists and designers ➕ Develop personal outcomes with our Engagement Producer and qualified teacher, Matt Fratson ➕ Boost GCSE and Level 3/college coursework with opportunities for 1-1 work, and achieve an Arts Award qualification Photography Explorers Tuesdays for 12-16s 4.30-6pm Learn about composition, manual settings, decision-making and build fundamental skills using both digital and analogue film cameras. ➕ Develop personal outcomes with the specialist guidance of Hull-based photographer and educator Ruby Deverell ➕ Collaborate on exciting location photography shoots across the city ➕ Develop an understanding of commercial and client-based, freelance and self-directed career pathways by working with local and national photographers Check out the link in our bio for more information and enrolment options. A limited number of subsidised places are available. Enrolment must be completed in full before your young artist attends. #87explorers

Nearness, How Far? - Boxing up at the end of last year with 87 Gallery Explorers ( @87explorers ). - Box-making and boxing-up work to complete our house-move - taking the things that we wanted to take away with us. Thinking what that removals box could look like - how it might also become a way to display the work as well as transport it. - * Nearness, How Far? is a body of work that uses The Nearness Of Elsewhere by Emma Prempeh ( @reclus__e ) as a house to move into and move out of. #theaimlessarchive #nearnesshowfar #87galleryexplorers

Don’t miss the chance to see our current exhibition of work from our new in-house Photography Explorers group for 12-16 year olds in Our Community Gallery and Young Artists spaces, showing until the end of March. The show represents the extraordinary breadth of work they made in their very first term together between October – December 2025, facilitated and guided by local photographer and educator Ruby Deverell @rubydeverell   Over the course of 9 weeks the group worked in live settings, photographing a gig with Hull Libraries, learning about how to respond to different environments on a location photography shoot, undertook experimentation with analogue and camera-less photographic processes in a pop-up DIY darkroom, and got to grips with digital and manual camera controls and settings through to developing individual outcomes based on personal project briefs, exploring themes spanning urban environments, domesticity, and portraiture. On Tuesdays, Photography Explorers takes place from 4.30-6pm, based in our studio here at Artlink Hull | 87 Gallery and with opportunities for location photography shoots across the city, and working with local and national photographers to gain an insight into creative career options. Find out more at /explorers and @87explorers

Nearness, How Far? - Drawing and combining at the end of last year with 87 Gallery Explorers ( @87explorers ). - Working quickly on transfer paper without being able to see the lines we are translating - gave us another way to move into the exhibition. Gradually extending the time to allow the unseen and the seen to merge. Thinking then of further ways to combine collected material. Building table games that might be played on the coffee table - or the background scenery of a film-set. - * Nearness, How Far? is a body of work that uses The Nearness Of Elsewhere by Emma Prempeh ( @reclus__e ) as a house to move into and move out of. #theaimlessarchive #nearnesshowfar #87galleryexplorers

Nearness, How Far? - Word collecting at the end of last year with 87 Gallery Explorers ( @87explorers ). - Thinking of a time when time stood still. Drawing out cinema-related words. Making verticalities while watching the artist talk about their work. Placing our words in the exhibition. Marking where we are on scales. Thinking about small worlds. - * Nearness, How Far? is a body of work that uses The Nearness Of Elsewhere by Emma Prempeh ( @reclus__e ) as a house to move into and move out of. #theaimlessarchive #nearnesshowfar #87galleryexplorers

It’s the last week of term for the gallery learning programme and we’re looking back on a dynamite start to our new Photography Explorers project, led by @rubydeverell every Tuesday afternoon after-school (enrolment for January opens soon so check back at the end of the week!) Over 9 weeks, Explorers have been getting to grips with digital and manual camera controls and settings, investigating commercial and non-commercial settings and career pathways, photographing a live gig - learning how to respond on a location shoot working with a client in a demanding environment, through to analogue experimentation, producing photograms in a DIY darkroom and developing a personal project brief towards a top-secret event coming up here at the gallery… @87explorers

Nearness, How Far? - Further sessions with the 87 Gallery Explorers ( @87explorers ) - moving further through a series of transitions. - Holding the smallness of sections found in a view-finder, or found in a projection, in mind - we collected small objects from home in a matchbox, listing them, sharing them with others - and projecting them onto the wall - flattening them out. - (I projected a list I made in a notebook of small objects I fitted into a matchbox when I was 10 years-old - slide 14). - We kept bringing ourselves and our things to the exhibition in the gallery - moving into the house with our small thoughts and tiny possessions in tiny boxes. Allowing those objects to be transformed - small to big - three-dimensional to flat - stationary to moving. - * Nearness, How Far? is a body of work that uses The Nearness Of Elsewhere by Emma Prempeh ( @reclus__e ) as a house to move into and move out of. #theaimlessarchive #nearnesshowfar #87galleryexplorers

Nearness, How Far? - The beginnings of a new body of work with the brilliant 87 Gallery Explorers ( @87explorers ) - using The Nearness Of Elsewhere by Emma Prempeh ( @reclus__e ) @87__gallery as a house to move into and move out of. - Moving through a series of transitions, or removals - creating texture-stamps found in the gallery space - view-finders to zoom-in - overhead projectors to blow-up - scratching into printed acetates - combining to create moving acetate film-reels… - #theaimlessarchive #nearnesshowfar #87galleryexplorers

Enrol Now! Starting 14 October 2025 Our brand-new in-house Photography Explorers group starts this term for 12-16 year olds on Tuesday evenings from 4.30-6pm, led by Hull-based photographer and educator Ruby Deverell @rubydeverell with opportunities for location photography shoots across the city, learning the use of both digital and analogue/film-based processes, and working with local and national photographers to gain an insight into creative career options. Check out 87gallery.co.uk/explorers to sign-up and for further information. For all enquiries contact [email protected] Come Join Us! #87explorers  #hullcreative #hullphotography #hullphotographer

Lottie shares her thoughts on our current exhibition, the beautiful ‘Savour This Moment’ by Isobel Hill @izziehilly in today’s Explorers Report. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit if you haven’t already - head over to @87__gallery Thursday to Saturday 10-4.30 until 20.09.25. --- Part of being an Explorer means that every week, we critically and creatively investigate art work in the gallery, and from the world outside of the gallery connected to our key words and subjects for the current term. #87explorers @artlinkhull

It’s that time of the week again, and we’re buzzing heading into tonight to follow-up on an incredible introduction to oil painting last week with artist Ian Hinley @ianhinleyart Ian led us through a series of practical considerations for the application of oil paints, as well as dispelling some conventionally held assumptions around methods and risks. We used four pigments: titanium white, lamp black, raw umber and ultramarine, to develop studies from small house models ( a connection to one of the paintings in the gallery space downstairs by @izziehilly ) and to focus in on representing the relationship between light and colour temperature. Check back for progress updates on individual paintings - we’re blown away by how beautiful they are. Thank you Ian - and congratulations from all of us here on your recent success at the @scottcreativeartsfoundation Emerging Artist Award 2025! @87__gallery @artlinkhull #87explorers