Chameleon Gallery

Like Art At Five, Chameleon Gallery was established in 2003 and stocks a variety of work by local and national artists. Housed in a unique, two storey building in the Lanes, it’s an intimate gallery with a good atmosphere and friendly staff.
There’s a variety of different styles threaded throughout the gallery but the main aesthetic seems to contemporary pop art. Endearingly, there’s a couple of different canvases of Brighton alongside moody landscapes, portraits and depictions of iconic figures including Morrissey, Mick Jagger and the biggest chameleon of all, David Bowie.
* Chameleon’s website appears to be down at the moment but I’m assuming they probably take part in the Arts Council’s Own Art scheme.

Chameleon Gallery is another small gallery in the South Lanes, although of a more poppy variety than most of the more peculiar galleries in the area. With a pop-​art style, including some very nice word-​art of icons like Bowie and Guevara, Chameleon will probably appeal more to the younger generation, although the prices are a bit expensive for that. Again, this gallery is a little stuck between its style and its target, a common issue with Brighton businesses.
The pieces of art on display are all very modern and somehow youthful; a lot of the pieces on display are almost semi-​graffitied in style, making them much more ‘cool’ than a lot of the stuff available in other Brighton outlets. There are some more traditional items on display too, such as landscapes and the like, but Chameleon doesn’t go in for the smaller jewelry items and the like.
The location is excellent, Chameleon being perched on the edge of the South Lanes, and the shop itself is pleasantly designed: long and thin, with plenty of room to view the art, although it could do with an upstairs area, or something similar: there’s definitely some expansion required here, as the pieces are all a bit close together.
If you’re looking to buy some cooler art, Chameleon is a great place to start. There’s so much art available in Brighton, I’d recommend some window shopping before purchasing, especially considering the prices at Chameleon are quite high. Still, if you see a piece you like, go for it!

The Chameleon Gallery has been a feature of the South Lanes scene for seven years. It features mostly figurative painting from the likes of C S Lawrence, Nigel Kingston, and Anthony Giles.
During my recent visit the lacqured oil paintings by Vietnamese artist Nguyen Laeyur and the, to my eye, somewhat clichéd text portraits of rock icons by Mike Edwards were heavily featured.
The gallery owner Mark Francis is a knowledgeable and friendly presence and offers a corporate client service to offices, hotels and restaurant operators looking to improve their image through the addition of a little aesthetic appeal.
Exhibitions are held once a year on the upper floor.

The Chameleon Gallery is a small but well stocked art gallery in the Lanes. The two levels contain mostly paintings, although I did notice a few glass sculptures around. The work of three or four artists was displayed; a mixture of local and international contributions.
One collection was a series of pop culture and political icons — David Bowie, Che Guevera, James Dean — whose faces were a pastiche of words in various tones and shades. Those are the kind of paintings I could watch for awhile. The words making up the Bowie piece seemed to be the names of his songs … although I’m not a dedicated fan, and am really just guessing.
Other images included well-​known skylines and landscapes, and a series of slightly depressing portraits. Prices ranged from£ 400 — £2000, with the most expensive being a three canvas spread displayed on the first floor. You’d need a really large living room wall to put it up, but it is quite lovely.
In summary: not my favourite gallery, as I like to look through jewellery and slightly more affordable pieces of artwork, but for what it offers, it’s quite nice.