[category]
[title]
If you think art is only displayed in sterile, white-washed rooms or lofty halls, think again. A radical art centre in Cardiff that mixes film, performance and art has been recognised as one of the best in the UK.
Chapter Arts Centre, in Cardiff’s trendy creative neighbourhood Canton, has been breaking the rules for decades – since the 1970s to be precise. There’s certainly a lot going on at Chapter: an indie cinema, contemporary exhibitions and performance art.
The through-line is that each showing is designed to spark conversations on contemporary issues and provoke new perspectives. The best part? Entry is pay what you can. The cafe and bar is usually pretty popping too.
Currently on display is Street TV, an exhibition on the history of Welsh activists in film; Silence in the Dream that Cannot Hold Us, an exploration of the family archive and On Hold On, a series of overlooked artworks and objects from the National Museum of Wales. Chapter also supports local artists and is home to more than 50 creative studios.
The cultural site is also an official partner venue for the BFI London Film Festival, hosting premieres outside of London that local film buffs would otherwise have to travel across the border to see.
Locals have long known Chapter is the place to be, but now the multidisciplinary space has been recognised in Time Out’s list of the best art galleries in the UK, behind The Lowry in Salford and Hastings Contemporary.
So its diverse programming and status as an art-mecca-cum-community-hub make it pretty rock and roll these days (compared to a lot of the stuffy art world). But its roots were grounded in counterculture too, and actual rock and roll.
It was founded by artists Christine Kinsey and Bryan Jones and the journalist Mik Flood, who later directed London’s ICA. They wanted to build somewhere to exhibit radical art. But in order to do that, they needed cash.
Time Out writer Amy Houghton said: ‘To raise money for the venue, they enlisted the help of Pink Floyd and put on a benefit concert in Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens, with support from a (then) little-known band named Black Sabbath.
‘More than 50 years later, Chapter continues to be ahead of the game with bold shows that confront and provoke.’
🖼️ Read the full guide to the UK’s top art galleries right now.
Plus: Why Underbanks and Central Stockport is one of the UK’s coolest neighbourhoods for 2026
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.