Artists from around the Salisbury and Southampton areas have joined forces to launch an exciting new pop-up gallery in Southampton city centre.

Bringing together 22 artists in a large exhibition space, and featuring a wide variety of artwork across different media and genres, the ‘Monkey Gallery’ has opened in an empty retail unit at 14-15 Hanover Buildings, formerly occupied by Santander.

The venture was conceived to connect Hampshire and Wiltshire artists and create a lively exhibition space to entertain shoppers and offer original art for sale during the Christmas shopping period.

With many interactive events during opening hours, the gallery features paintings and drawings, photography and screen-prints, sculpture and ceramics, together with screenings of animation and installation work in dedicated rooms.

The Monkey Gallery initiative was dreamt up by the Inovate Productions partnership of painter Kate Buttimer, from Woodfalls in Wiltshire, and Salisbury photographer Vicky Slater.

The gallery will open daily from Thursday to Sunday each week until December 22, from 10am until 4pm.

Several of the artists will be demonstrating their creative techniques, and a drawing and painting workshop will take place on December 13 from 11am to 3pm