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FESTIVAL OF WESSEX 2026 • 16 Visual Arts Summer 2026 Anna Konig: Stitches, Patches and Glitches Anna Konig was the winner of the ACE Arts Open 25 Exhibition, recognised for the originality, skill, and vibrancy of her work. Through stitch, collage, and techniques of mending and making, she creates richly textured pieces that explore colour, material, and form. 4 July - 22 August: ACE Arts, Market Place, SOMERTON, TA11 7NB. Tuesday 11am - 5pm, Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm. 01458 273008 / acearts.co.uk . ‘HIDE AND SEEK’ (Cotton yarn on paper, 56 x 56 cm, 2026) Bloomsbury in Wiltshire At the heart of this exhibition lies a deeply local story. Henry Lamb, the acclaimed artist best known for his sensitive portraits of Bloomsbury's most celebrated figures, settled in Coombe Bissett, near Salisbury. His most iconic but rarely-seen work - a portrait of writer Lytton Strachey - will be on display having been loaned from the Tate. It captures one of the twentieth century’s most influential intellectuals in a characteristically languid pose. Strachey famously said he was unable to lift a match before breakfast, and Lamb’s portrait beautifully presents him in that state of elegant repose. However, the Wiltshire connection to the Bloomsbury Group extends further. Ham Spray House, nestled in the north Wiltshire Downs, served as the beloved home of Bloomsbury members Lytton Strachey, Dora Carrington and Ralph and Frances Partridge between 1924 and 1960. During these formative years, the house became a creative sanctuary where some of Britain’s most influential figures in art, literature and thought gathered, worked and lived - and where Lamb, as a close friend of the group, was a frequent and welcome visitor. The exhibition brings together a diverse selection of artworks by prominent Bloomsbury figures including Dora Carrington, Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Stephen Tomlin and Roger Fry. Until 27 September: The Salisbury Museum, The Kings House, 65 The Close, SALISBURY, SP1 2EN. 10am - 5pm. 01722 332151 / salisburymuseum.org.uk . HENRY LAMB ‘LYTTON STRACHEY’ ‘SHIRLEY PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUNE’ Beyond the Lines In Jolly Good Company, a dementia- friendly charity based in Dorset, present a moving photography exhibition celebrating creativity, connection, and identity in later life. Participants learned to use professional cameras and a portable studio lighting kit to take striking photographic portraits of one another. They capture playful, thoughtful and deeply personal moments. Some props or costumes have been used to reflect something of their personalities, a chapter from their lives or the humour that always accompanies these sessions. Until 19 July: Level 1, North Wing, Dorset County Hospital, William Avenue, DORCHESTER, DT1 2JY. 8am - 8pm. 01305 253424 / dchartsinhospital.org.uk .