London's Top 5 Art Exhibitions for May 2026

Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, selects five must-see exhibitions in London for May 2026. At Kristin Hjellegjerde, Zayn Qahtani's 'The Whisperings' presents a fantastical world inspired by video games and Bahraini heritage, featuring a portal, hands, stars, and cherubs, until 16th May. Ramzi Mallat's 'Atlas of An Entangled Gaze' at Leighton House Museum marks the Arab Hall's 100th anniversary as a museum, with thousands of glazed evil-eye charms suspended like a chandelier, referencing Ottoman helmet design, until 13th May (ticketed). 'Dislocations' at New Art Projects showcases Rachel Mortlock and Harry Grundy's birdwatching towers made from reclaimed wood, broken tiles, Jesmonite roofs, abstract works on sandpaper belts, and a viaduct of woodworker's offcuts with a potato-print map of McDonald's in Kent, until 7th June. Pei-Yi Tsai's 'Insert' at SLQS Gallery explores identity and concealment through paintings of partial faces, referencing her experience as a queer person from Taiwan, until 23rd May. Emma Talbot's 'Always in Transformation' at Hales features trippy silk paintings examining nature, with a goddess-like sculpture, until 22nd May.