Mayfair's Top 5 Art Exhibitions This May

Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, selects five must-see exhibitions in Mayfair, London, for May 2026. At Pippy Houldsworth, Nengi Omuku's 'We Were Like Those Who Dreamed' juxtaposes contemporary and archival Lagos figures with greenery, addressing urbanisation's loss of green spaces. Painted on Samyan cloth, a Yoruba hand-spun textile, the works highlight endangered traditional crafts. The installation allows visitors to walk among the pieces and view their backs. Runs until 30th May. At Shapero Modern, Jack Milroy's 'Bibliophilia' features excised book images—planes, birds, plants—that appear to break free from their sources, sometimes from intact books, crumpled pages, or shredded paper. On view until 31st May. Tom Waring's 'Death and Taxes' at Bernheim presents meticulous paintings blending architectural styles with ribbed vaults, arches, and gargoyles, using limited colour palettes for a 3D effect. Until 22nd May. Nicola Hicks' 'Love' at Messums London showcases raw plaster sculptures, including a dog on a packing crate with puppies, plus works on paper featuring bears and colourful snakes and crabs reminiscent of Warhol. Until 23rd May. Brook Andrew's 'Symbolic Nature' at Ames Yavuz draws on Indigenous Australian heritage, incorporating Echidna quills and a wedge-tailed eagle feather, and includes covered books that must be uncovered to challenge the Western gaze. Until 30th May.