Gallery UNO. Sussex Arts Collective. Seaford Art Scene

Gallery UNO. Sussex Arts Collective. Seaford Art Scene

Update May 2025

Gallery Uno is a creative beacon in Seaford. Established in 2006 by ceramic artist Phil Duncan, it’s home to the Sussex Arts Collective and is known for presenting high-quality, original, and affordable art and craftwork. The gallery hosts rotating exhibitions like “UNO23” and “UNO SOLO,” featuring painting, ceramics, glass, textiles, photography, and woodwork. Visitors can meet the artists and learn about their creative processes, making it a friendly and engaging space. Whether you’re looking for a standout artwork or a small handmade gift, Gallery Uno offers something distinctive and rooted in the local community.

Places to visist in Seaford

Beyond the gallery, Seaford is a coastal gem with plenty to explore:

Seaford Head Nature Reserve offers panoramic views of the Seven Sisters cliffs and the sea. It’s a favourite for walking and wildlife spotting, with rich chalk grasslands and wetlands.

Seaford Museum is located inside a historic Martello Tower and tells the story of the town’s maritime and social history, with charming exhibits like Victorian bathing machines and old radios.

The Crypt Gallery is a unique art space in a 13th-century medieval undercroft, hosting contemporary exhibitions in an atmospheric setting.

Cuckmere Haven is where the River Cuckmere flows into the sea. It’s one of the most photographed views in Sussex, with sweeping landscapes, walking trails, and the iconic coastguard cottages.

Seaford Beach offers a traditional seaside experience with shingle shores, beach huts, and views of Splash Point. The public art installation “The Shoal” adds an extra creative touch to the promenade.

Culturally, Seaford is also home to the Barn Theatre, which stages performances from local theatre groups, and the Seaford Community Cinema, a volunteer-run space that screens a wide variety of films.

Seaford is easily reached by train from London or Brighton, making it a perfect destination for a day out or a weekend escape. Whether you’re drawn to its art, coast, or community spirit, there’s plenty to enjoy.

Gallery Uno
https://www.galleryuno.uk

Seaford Head Nature Reserve
https://www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/visit/seaford-head

Seaford Museum
https://www.seafordmuseum.co.uk

Crypt Gallery
https://www.thecryptgallery.com

Cuckmere Haven
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/cuckmere-valley

Seaford Beach and Splash Point (general visitor info)
https://www.visitlewes.co.uk/explore/seaford

Barn Theatre Seaford
https://www.barntheatreseaford.co.uk

Seaford Community Cinema
https://www.seafordcinema.org

In October 2022, Phil chose me as the featured artist and below you can read the unedited interview that was published at Seaford Scene magazine.

Alej ez Oct 2022 UNO22 ELEVEN Seaford Scene Article October 2022

I was born in Granada and came to the UK in 2000 to visit my cousin who was working at the Park Lane Hotel in Central London. I was offered a job in the accounts department at the hotel which included live-in accommodation, so I accepted the offer as I had just finished studying for my architecture degree in Seville. So, my first address in the UK was in Mayfair – can you believe that? I experienced dazzling Soho, world class museums, cosmopolitan people and new cultures so it was an amazing time for me.

From 2007 I used to visit Brighton every weekend, so the natural next step was to move there full time, and I have lived there since 2011. The Southeast of England, and Brighton in particular, have a creative, vibrant and cosmopolitan population. Just a stone’s throw from the South Downs National Park it is like a William Blake dream with a coastline of staggering beauty.

The big question is why did I become an architect and then a visual artist? The answer is not as grand as I would like it to be. After high school, a friend suggested architecture as a career for me. The university studies kept me busy for nearly ten years and I graduated as a structural engineer, city planner and architect. I worked for several different practices and my first architectural job in the UK was for Rick Mather Architects. I was involved in the master plan for development of London’s Natural History Museum. It was fascinating to create visual proposals in which we included the exhibits of the roaring T. rex, the wandering skull of a Triceratops and the giant Blue Whale skeleton hanging in Hintze Hall. Imagine that! In Brighton I worked on smaller residential schemes as I enjoyed assisting people to renovate their homes. I specialised in the optimisation of spaces with less circulation, more room and better light and lovely staircases. My all-time favourite architects are Le Courbusier, Alberto Campo Baeza and Frank Lloyd Wright.

I was always drawn to visual arts and at school I was often selected to create art projects such as painting murals. During my university studies I participated in several art exhibitions, although it was in Brighton where I found my true creative drive. My first pieces were small architectural sketches that I sold at a fair just outside my home near St Nicholas Church in 2010. I recreated them as digital prints with the addition of block colours which I took to a print shop in the North Laine, Leo Frames, and that was the start of my commercial career as an artist. After twelve years, the essence of my work remains though it is more complex and layered now. I often remind myself to keep at it and persevere as the gateway to future success.

Inspiration comes from two sources of my experience. Firstly, direct experience of the natural world. I love my walks in the South Downs, the hikes up and down the coastal chalk cliffs and the leisurely seafront promenades of our towns. And secondly, direct experience of exposure to the work of other artists. There is so much to enjoy and learn from the work of Samuel Palmer to David Hockney, Ravilious to Ben Nicholson, Eric Slater to Ivon Hitchens, Goya to Dürer and Picasso. My motto is Love life, love art!

To create one of my prints I start with the creation of a monochrome ink drawing. I combine the use of pen and ink, lino, litho and collagraphs printmaking. I draw on sheets of specialised marker paper with calligraphic brushes, fine-line ink pens, sponges, sandpaper and other materials using watercolour, ink and charcoal. My prints are digitally created from my drawings. I scan them, add colour digitally and collate images in layers, similarly to the plates of a lithographic print. It is a very long, meticulous process, which can sometimes take up to a month and towards the end the print reveals itself when it kind of touches my soul with emotion, and then I know it is finished. 

Currently I am working on a print with pheasants at Glyndebourne. I love the creation of compositions with a strong historic graphic element of the natural world combined with architecture. These designs echo 18th and 19th century illustrations of the natural world by artists like James Audubon or Thomas Bewick.