Colchester is set to host a major exhibition of street art at The Minories Gallery, featuring 28 original artworks by Banksy alongside works by more than twenty leading figures from the global street art and urban contemporary art movement.
Unlike many exhibitions purporting to celebrate Banksy's work, every single piece in Out of Line is an original artwork or an artist-certified print – what you will see is the real thing.
Among the highlights is a work by Banksy that has never been exhibited anywhere before entitled Rat with Drill – making this a genuinely historic moment for the gallery, for Colchester, and for lovers of street art across the UK.
Two iconic walls come to Colchester
In addition to works on canvas and paper, the exhibition will feature two large-scale painted walls. Hula Hoop Girl, originally painted in Nottingham in 2020 and Sandcastle Boy, originally painted in Lowestoft in 2021 offer visitors a rare encounter with the scale and immediacy that defines Banksy's public art practice.
A constellation of street art's finest
The exhibition brings together an extraordinary roster of artists who have each shaped the language of street art, graffiti, and urban contemporary art over the past four decades. It will feature works by The Connor Brothers, My Dog Sighs, Ben Eine, Lamont White, Pure Evil, Blek LeRat, KAWS, Martin Whatson, Bambi, Sherlock, West Country Prince, Robbo, Hush, Invader, Alma Singer, Shepard Fairey, SPQR and Stik amongst others.
Together, these artists represent a movement that took art off gallery walls and onto the streets – reclaiming public space as a site of free expression, political commentary, and radical imagination. Out of Line asks what it means to dissent through creativity, and why these images – born in alleyways, on hoardings and railway arches – have come to define the visual culture of our times.
The majority of works in the exhibition have been generously lent by John Brandler of Brandler Galleries, Brentwood – one of the UK’s foremost dealers in street art and urban contemporary work.
Supporting culture and the city centre
Colchester City Council has enabled this exhibition to take place through a targeted grant to The Minories, supporting the gallery to host a project of this ambition. The investment reflects the Council’s commitment to supporting Colchester’s key cultural venues, boosting city‑centre footfall and spend, and strengthening the city’s reputation as a destination for high‑quality cultural experiences. The exhibition is expected to deliver a short‑term economic boost for local businesses, while also contributing to the long‑term sustainability of one of the city’s most valued heritage and cultural assets.
Cllr David King, Leader of Colchester City Council, said: “This is great news for Colchester. Supporting the Minories to bring a landmark exhibition like this to the city helps drive footfall, supports local businesses and reinforces Colchester’s growing reputation as a cultural destination. It’s about enabling ambition, backing our cultural partners and making sure residents can enjoy worldclass art right on their doorstep.”
Dissent has always called Colchester home
There is perhaps no more fitting home for an exhibition about art and dissent than Colchester. Britain’s oldest recorded town has been a crucible of rebellion, resistance, and radical thought across two millennia – and Out of Line will weave these threads of local history through the exhibition, inviting visitors to see street art’s provocations not as a modern novelty, but as the latest expression of a spirit that has always been alive here.
In 60 AD, Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, led a revolt against Roman occupation that razed the town of Camulodunum (as Colchester was then known) to the ground in one of the ancient world’s most spectacular acts of defiance against imperial power. Centuries later, Colchester was at the heart of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, as ordinary people rebelled against taxation and oppression. Colchester’s Protestant Martyrs, burned at the stake during the persecutions by Queen Mary in the 1550s, bore witness to the cost of holding fast to conscience in the face of authority. And not forgetting the 11-week Siege of Colchester in 1648, ending with the execution behind Colchester Castle of Royalist leaders Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle.
Out of Line honours this inheritance. The exhibition will draw connections between these histories of local resistance and the power of art as protest – asking what it means to speak truth to power, in any age, by any means available.
Emma Howe, Director of the Minories, reflects on the significance of this exhibition for the city: “This exhibition is unlike anything The Minories has staged before. Banksy and other street artists have changed the way millions of people engage with art - and to bring these works to Colchester, including a piece the world has genuinely never seen, feels extraordinary.”
Exhibition Details
Exhibition Title: Out of Line: Banksy and the Art of Dissent
Venue: The Minories Gallery, 74 High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1UE
Dates: Saturday 10 October 2026 – Sunday 28 February 2027, Tuesdays to Sundays 10am – 4pm
Tickets will be released via The Minories website on Monday 20 April 2026 at 10am.
Full price tickets:
£12.50 – Adult
£6 - Children (under 16 - Under 5’s are free)
£30 - Family ticket (2 adults + up to 3 children)
£8 - Concessions (students, people in receipt of benefits)
£6 – Disabled People, including a free ticket for a carer/essential companion
Please be aware that whilst the downstairs galleries at the Minories have a step-free access option, some of the exhibition will be in the upstairs galleries which are accessed by stairs only. Unfortunately the gallery does not have a lift. This ticket has been priced with this in mind.
There will be free tickets for Friends of the Minories and Minories Artist Network Members, although a slot will still need to be booked in advance as numbers are limited.
There will be special rates for groups of 10+, schools and other educational visits.