UK Exhibition Highlights for 2026: Major Retrospectives, Black Music History, and Fashion Evolution
Aesthetica Magazine has identified twelve key exhibitions taking place in the UK for 2026. Opening on August 8, Catherine Opie's 'To Be Seen' will be featured at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. From February 27 to August 31, Tate Modern will showcase Tracey Emin's survey. Chiharu Shiota's 'Threads of Life' is scheduled at Hayward Gallery from February 17 to May 3. The V&A East Museum will unveil 'The Music Is Black: A British Story' on April 18. John Akomfrah's 'Listening All Night To The Rain' will be on display at Walker Art Gallery from May 16 to August 31. The Barbican will present 'Project a Black Planet' from June 11 to September 6. V&A Dundee's 'Catwalk' is set for April 3 to January 17, while Es Devlin's exhibition at the Design Museum runs from September 18 to April 11. Tate Britain's 'The 90s' will be available from October 8 to February 14. Kettle's Yard will feature 'Sunil Gupta: Life With a Camera' from September 19 to January 31. The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026 will be hosted at The Photographers' Gallery from March 6 to June 7, and Marshmallow Laser Feast's 'Of the Oak' will remain at Yorkshire Sculpture Park until March 15.
Key facts
- Catherine Opie's first major UK museum exhibition opens at Royal Scottish Academy August 8
- Tracey Emin survey at Tate Modern runs February 27 to August 31
- Chiharu Shiota exhibition at Hayward Gallery February 17 to May 3
- V&A East Museum's inaugural show 'The Music Is Black' opens April 18
- John Akomfrah's Venice Biennale commission shows in Liverpool May 16-August 31
- Barbican Centre's Pan-Africanism exhibition features 300+ works June 11-September 6
- V&A Dundee's fashion show history exhibition exclusive to UK April 3-January 17
- Design Museum's first UK show dedicated to Es Devlin September 18-April 11
Entities
Artists
- Catherine Opie
- Chiharu Shiota
- Tracey Emin
- Ana Mendieta
- Amak Mahmoodian
- Jane Evelyn Atwood
- Rene Matić
- Weronika Gęsicka
- Sampha
- Little Simz
- Jorja Smith
- Ezra Collective
- John Akomfrah
- Chris Ofili
- Kerry James Marshall
- Marlene Dumas
- Simone Leigh
- Hans Holbein
- Alexander McQueen
- Karl Lagerfeld
- Es Devlin
- Edward Enninful OBE
- Corrine Day
- David Sims
- Juergen Teller
- Nick Knight
- Damien Hirst
- Gillian Wearing
- Yinka Shonibare
- Hussein Chalayan
- Vivienne Westwood
- Sunil Gupta
- Charan Singh
Institutions
- Aesthetica Magazine
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park
- Kew Gardens
- Hayward Gallery
- southbankcentre.co.uk
- Tate Modern
- The Photographers' Gallery
- thephotographersgallery.org.uk
- V&A East Museum
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- National Museums Liverpool
- Walker Art Gallery
- British Council
- Venice Biennale
- liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
- Barbican Centre
- Royal Scottish Academy
- National Portrait Gallery
- nationalgalleries.org
- V&A Dundee
- The Design Museum
- designmuseum.org
- Tate Britain
- Kettle's Yard
- kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk
- Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation
- Serpentine
- Balenciaga
- Chanel
- Dior
- Louis Vuitton
- British Vogue
Locations
- UK
- Yorkshire
- Japan
- London
- England
- Cuba
- United States
- Montreal
- Canada
- New York
- USA
- India
- Delhi
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- Dundee
- Brazil
- Caribbean
- North America
- Western Europe
- Africa
- Venice
- Italy
- Yokohama
- Chicago
- Los Angeles