Jane's Midlife Journey

The Upside Gallery in Bournemouth is an unusual location for an art gallery. Six, ten metre tall concrete pillars, which support the elevated section of the A338 Wessex Way (the main road into Bournemouth), have become ‘canvases’ for some of the country’s best street artists. What used to be a rather gloomy area in an underpass between Bournemouth’s Central and Upper Gardens, has been transformed into an outdoor art gallery. Judging by the number of people who stopped to comment while I was taking photos, it is a very popular addition to the local landscape.

How to get to the Upside Gallery

The Upside Gallery is only a 10 minute walk north from Bournemouth town centre (or a 15 minute walk from the beach). It can be reached by following the path through the town’s award winning Gardens. (You can’t cycle through the Gardens, but there is a cycle path which runs along the west side). The nearest bus stop is in Bournemouth Square.

The project was the brainchild of local artist Ricky Also of Paintshop, whose bold designs can be seen throughout the town – even in the toilets on Bournemouth Pier!

If you want to know more about the works on display or the artists who created them, each pillar has a QR Code which links to the relevant pages of the Upside Gallery website.

Opening Times

The Upside Gallery is open 24/7, although obviously you will need to go during daylight hours to see the art properly.

Price

There is no entrance fee.

Carpe Diem – Bonzai

Southampton artist Dave Bonzai has created this intricate shimmering metallic graffiti of the words Carpe Diem (Seize the Day). Is it just me for whom the phrase Carpe Diem conjures up images of Robin Williams and the Dead Poets Society?

Infinite History – Gary Stranger

Gary hails from further along the coast in Brighton and specialises in creating complex images combining typography with geometric shapes. Here, the word HISTORY has been written to form an infinite loop – deep!

No Name – Best Ever

Local duo Neil and Hadley, aka Best Ever, have produced this piece with no name which merges abstract with photorealism. Or is it named No Name? I don’t know, but I love it – look at the detail in those hands!

Fly on the Wall – Tech Moon

Tech Moon, another Bournemouth based artist (aka Krishna Malla), has created a stunning Fly on the Wall, on the wall. Who knew a fly could be so beautiful? Which of course, is the point – you can find beauty anywhere if you look for it. If you like Tech Moon’s work, there is plenty more of it to enjoy in and around Bournemouth.

Untitled – Odisy

I love this piece by Bournemouth artist Alex Odisy who’s gone full-on seaside with a pipe-smoking fisherman and bathing belle.

Lily & Roses – Philth

Taking his inspiration from the surrounding gardens, Philth Blake has painted a pattern of Lilies and Roses reminiscent of a piece of William Morris wallpaper.

Monolith B – Remi Rough

Londoner Remi has gone abstract with his Monolith B, which makes me wonder, what happened to Monolith A?

On the Shoulders of Giants – Ricky Also

Ricky Also, Creative Director of the aforementioned Paintshop, has chosen the phrase On the Shoulders of Giants for this project of gigantic proportions.

Bottled Oxygen – Squirl

Squirl’s work is apparently an abstraction of the surroundings of the Upside Gallery.

Islands – Tea One

Tea One came all the way from Preston to create his Islands scene with a boat which sits on an abstract island on the bank of the River Bourne, which runs past the base of the pillar.

Deep Deco Forest – Will Barras

I love the Deep Deco Forest by Bristolian Wil Barras. I’ve no idea what’s going on, but I love it anyway!

Braidley Road Mural

A five minute walk away in Braidley Road, students from AUB (Arts University Bournemouth) have also been in action painting murals on some of the A338 support pillars. In 2024, the students spent 5 weeks creating the Braidley Road Mural – the largest public mural in Dorset.

The mural showcases 14 creatives with connections to the Bournemouth area, including actress Millie Bobby Brown and singer PJ Harvey.

• Updated: January 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my other ideas for ‘101 Things to do in Bournemouth’ here.