Bethlem Gallery

Bethlem Gallery is a visual arts organisation in south-east London. We programme creative activities, projects and commissions to participate in, look at, talk and think about. Based at Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, and working across South London and the UK, we support the professional development and socially engaged practice of our artists, many of whom have experienced mental health services. We bridge communities, aiming to make art an everyday practice and mental health an everyday conversation. Our programme includes collaborations with other cultural and health organisations including Bethlem Museum of the Mind, with whom we share a building, artists-in-residence, and interdisciplinary research. We engage audiences in learning and debate on the subject of mental health and artistic practice. We are a charity founded in 1997. As well as working in our gallery and studio space at Bethlem Royal Hospital, we programme exhibitions at the Long Gallery at Maudsley Hospital and the ORTUS conferencing centre, and commission new public artworks. “Pills are ok, counselling is ok and it will get you back on the streets, but what keeps your mind alive is what you learn here. That’s what it’s about – keeping your spirit alive.” – Lee, Bethlem artist.