01/02/2026
Fika Coffee & Wine by The Brunel Swindon and out art exhibition got a mention in The Link Swindon!!!!!
Big thanks to all the artists pulled together by SLART AKA Steve Light and The Link Swindon reporter for making this cultural event a major success.... (I didn't even know the reporter was here 😀 )
https://theinkswindon.substack.com/p/swindon-needs-to-shake-the-cultural?r=837k2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true
Swindon needs to shake the 'cultural desert' perception if it's going to be UK City of Culture
Apart from the great work of Paint Fest, culture in Swindon remains invisible for the majority of the town
Jan 30, 2026
FIKA WINE & COFFEE: Pop-Up Art Exhibition
SLART, AKA Steven Light, has set up and curated a month-long pop-up exhibition at FIKA Wine & Coffee in central Swindon. The launch event was attended by roughly 80 people during the three-hour evening, featuring music and a great vibe.
On display are airbrush paintings by muralist Jaksa, SLART’s raw expressionist art, animal paintings by Rhona Jack, and pieces by Rahford Does Art and ArtForMeat50. Another 13 artists are featured with a variety of styles in acrylics and mixed media. SLART said: “Art is for everyone and I wanted this exhibition to be accessible to the whole community. Galleries can be a bit intimidating sometimes so it’s great to show art within a lovely, relaxed café setting which you can see at any time of the day.”
Jo Todman (McAree) runs Eastcott Studios in Old Town, and she commented: “It’s so colourful – I love it! There’s a really ‘free-spirited’ style in a laid-back environment. It’s nice to see a town-centre venue buzzing and lively on a weekday evening.” Zozo Thomas said: “It’s a vibrant collection showcasing the diversity of Swindon’s artistic talent and this event shows Swindon Town Centre is certainly not dead!”
A couple from Highworth came in specially and said: “It’s bloody brilliant! Really fantastic. We like to go to similar events at the Arts Centre and the Beehive but it’s really nice to have wine, tea and cake at the same time as seeing the art. It feels like real community and the music is great. If all Swindon was like this it would be brilliant – more like Bath and Reading!”
Cathy Urquhart said she liked local exhibitions and that FIKA was such a great café, she wanted to support the owner. She added: “Swindon needs more cultural ‘get-together’ evenings like this.”
There are a couple of evening events this weekend at FIKA Coffee & Wine if you want to see art and enjoy a good “vibe”? Friday night 30 Jan from 7.30pm is “Brew Soul” where DJ Cybernetic (Dale Colsell) will be playing RnB, Hip Hop, Reggae, 80s, 90s Soul, Electro, Slow Jamz and much more. This is followed on Saturday night by an Open Mic night with free entry.
Apart from the great work of Paint Fest, culture in Swindon remains invisible for the majority of the town
