11 Must-See Exhibitions Worldwide in May 2026
ArtReview has spotlighted 11 exhibitions set to debut worldwide in May 2026, omitting Venice. In Pittsburgh, Audie Murray's solo exhibition at April April showcases pieces such as 'Gold Thread' (2026) and 'Net Charm'. Meanwhile, in London, Delcy Morelos's 'origo' is on display at the Barbican, and Bold Tendencies marks its 20th anniversary with 'Euphoria' from 15 May to 12 September. Northampton's Arts Collective unveils 'Rose Finn-Kelcey: House Rules', while Budapest's Ludwig Museum presents 'In the End There Will Be No End'. Dubai will host Art Jameel's 'Global Positioning System' (9 May – 4 October) and Jeddah will feature it from 20 May to 26 October. Additional exhibitions include 'Dial-A-Poem Thailand', Sara Cwynar at MOCA Toronto, and events in Beijing and Tokyo. The site vwfa.net has been relaunched.
Key facts
- Audie Murray's solo show at April April, Pittsburgh, 9 May – 27 June, includes works made with her hair and breast milk.
- Delcy Morelos's 'origo' at Barbican Sculpture Court, London, 15 May – 31 July, is a 24x18-metre clay and soil pavilion.
- Bold Tendencies 20th anniversary season 'Euphoria' in London, 15 May – 12 September, features Andreas Gursky, Emma Hart, Tarek Lakhrissi, and Louis Morlæ.
- Arts Collective in Northampton opens 1 May with 'Rose Finn-Kelcey: House Rules', running until 1 August.
- Ludwig Museum Budapest presents 'In the End There Will Be No End' from 24 April to 20 September, featuring Kristián Németh and neo-avant-garde works.
- Art Jameel's 'Global Positioning System' in Dubai (9 May – 4 October) and Jeddah (20 May – 26 October) includes Mohammed Kazem and Cheng Xinhao.
- 'Dial-A-Poem Thailand' at Bangkok Kunsthalle from 24 April 2026 offers 44 recorded poems via phone.
- Sara Cwynar's 'Baby Blue Benzo Beta' at MOCA Toronto, 15 May – 16 August, includes film 'Baby Blue Benzo' (2024) and 'Alpha/Alphabet' (2025/26).
- Niamh O'Malley and Dori Deng have parallel solo shows at Space of Time Gallery, Beijing, 20 May – 25 July.
- Hiroko Koshino's 'unknown' at MOT Tokyo, 26 May – 26 July; NIGO's 'From Japan with Love' at Design Museum London, 1 May – 4 October.
- Website vwfa.net relaunched, archiving nearly 300 exhibitions from Valentine Willie's former gallery network.
Entities
Artists
- Audie Murray
- Delcy Morelos
- Andreas Gursky
- Emma Hart
- Tarek Lakhrissi
- Louis Morlæ
- Rose Finn-Kelcey
- Kristián Németh
- Mohammed Kazem
- Cheng Xinhao
- Sara Cwynar
- Niamh O'Malley
- Dori Deng
- Hiroko Koshino
- NIGO
- Yee I-Lann
- Valentine Willie
- Simon Whybray
- George Fulford
- King Charles III
- Donald Trump
- Victor Orban
Institutions
- ArtReview
- April April
- Fazakas Gallery
- Barbican Art Gallery
- Dia Chelsea
- Hamburger Bahnhof
- Bold Tendencies
- Frank's Café
- Multi-Story Orchestra
- Fitzcarraldo
- Arts Collective
- Kate MacGarry
- Ludwig Museum
- Art Fond Collection
- Met Museum
- Art Jameel
- Jameel Arts Centre
- Hayy Jameel
- Bangkok Kunsthalle
- Khao Yai Art Forest
- MOCA Toronto
- Space of Time Gallery
- MOT Tokyo
- Design Museum London
- A Bathing Ape
- Kenzo
- Galerie Chantal Crousel
Locations
- Pittsburgh
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Northampton
- England
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Jeddah
- Saudi Arabia
- Dubai
- United Arab Emirates
- Bangkok
- Thailand
- Toronto
- Canada
- Beijing
- China
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Venice
- Italy
- New York
- Berlin
- Germany
- Tierralta
- Colombia
- Córdoba
- Peckham
- Battersea Power Station
- Houston
- Texas
- Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysia
- Bali
- Indonesia
- Singapore
- Manila
- Philippines
- Yogyakarta
- Myanmar
- Arabian Sea