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Aesthetica Magazine Highlights 10 Global Exhibitions from 2025, Spanning Photography, Architecture, and Retrospectives

exhibition · 2026-04-19

Aesthetica Magazine's annual recap emphasizes ten notable international exhibitions from 2025, building upon an earlier compilation of twelve UK events. Among the highlighted shows is Tyler Mitchell's 'Wish This Was Real,' which is touring C/O Berlin, the Finnish Museum of Photography, Photo Élysée, and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, accompanied by an Aperture monograph. The Mori Art Museum featured the work of architect Sou Fujimoto, while 'Life Pleasures,' a significant retrospective of Helen Chadwick, was presented at the Hepworth Wakefield. Aboriginal photographers were showcased in 'Snap Blak' at the Queensland Art Gallery. Other highlights include a Ruth Asawa retrospective at SFMOMA and Erwin Olaf's 'Freedom' at the Stedelijk Museum. MoMA's 'Ideas of Africa' is available until 25 July, and Jennie Baptiste's 'Rhythm & Roots' at Somerset House runs until 4 January. Anicka Yi's exhibition at UCCA Beijing explores the intersection of biology and technology, and Fotomuseum Den Haag presented 26 Japanese women photographers. This article was authored by Eleanor Sutherland and published on 22 December 2025.

Key facts

  • Aesthetica Magazine listed 10 global exhibitions from 2025, adding to an initial 12 UK shows.
  • Tyler Mitchell's 'Wish This Was Real' toured European venues in 2025, with a monograph published by Aperture.
  • The Mori Art Museum in Tokyo hosted the first major survey of architect Sou Fujimoto's work.
  • The Hepworth Wakefield presented the first major Helen Chadwick retrospective in over 25 years in May.
  • 'Snap Blak' at Queensland Art Gallery featured contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander photography.
  • SFMOMA opened a major Ruth Asawa retrospective in April 2025.
  • The Stedelijk Museum presented 'Freedom,' the first major Erwin Olaf retrospective since his 2023 death.
  • MoMA's 'Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination' runs until 25 July 2025.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Locations

  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • Helsinki
  • Finland
  • Lausanne
  • Switzerland
  • Paris
  • France
  • Tokyo
  • Japan
  • Wakefield
  • United Kingdom
  • Queensland
  • Australia
  • Brisbane
  • San Francisco
  • United States
  • Amsterdam
  • Netherlands
  • New York
  • London
  • Beijing
  • China
  • Den Haag
  • Montpellier
  • Bamako
  • Mali
  • Bobo-Dioulasso
  • Burkina Faso
  • Kinshasa
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sources