Acrylics on canvas, black and white – approx. 40cm x 60cm

The Westgate Hotel in Newport once stood as a proud symbol of elegance, history, and prosperity. Today, its grand doors are closed — yet, heartbreakingly, they offer shelter to those society has left behind.

No Vacancies captures this stark contrast: the faded grandeur of a once-prestigious building, now serving as a refuge for a rough sleeper on its cold doorstep. Painted in black and white, the work strips away distraction and sentiment, leaving only truth and empathy.

Through this piece, Chris Barbour invites viewers to reflect on how the fortunes of a city — and its people — intertwine. The Westgate’s boarded doors speak not just of a building’s decline, but of deeper social fractures: empty rooms while lives unfold on the street outside.

No Vacancies is both a record and a question — what does it say about us, when there is no room left at the inn?