Arnolfini key venue for British Art Show 10, the UK’s largest and most significant recurring exhibition of contemporary art.
Curated by the acclaimed Ekow Eshun and produced by Hayward Gallery Touring, this landmark 10th edition will tour to five cities across the UK for the first time in its history. Bristol will host the exhibition in June 2027, with Arnolfini joining an exceptional group of local partners including Spike Island, Bristol Museum and RWA Bristol.
British Art Show has been highlighting new trends in contemporary art and reflecting a changing Britain for over four decades, reaching more than 2.3 million people since its launch in 1979. The exhibition has introduced many of the UK’s most significant artists to audiences nationwide, including David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Paula Rego, Rachel Whiteread, Sonia Boyce, Jeremy Deller and John Akomfrah, many of whom have had shows at Arnolfini.
Under Eshun’s vision, British Art Show 10 will provide a vital overview of the most exciting art produced in the UK during the past five years. Known for his critically acclaimed projects including In the Black Fantastic at Hayward Gallery and The Time is Always Now at the National Portrait Gallery, Eshun brings exceptional curatorial expertise to this prestigious exhibition. We are particularly looking forward to working with Ekow Eshun again, having previously collaborated with him on Hassan Hajjaj’s exhibition The Path at Arnolfini in 2020 and continuing our partnership with Hayward Gallery Touring following our recent collaboration on Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood in 2024.
The show will first open in Coventry in September 2026, followed by Swansea in February 2027, before arriving in Bristol. It will then continue to Sheffield and Newcastle Gateshead, making this the most extensive presentation in the exhibition’s history.
We look forward to working with Hayward Gallery Touring and our brilliant Bristol partners to bring this significant exhibition to our audiences.
British Art Show 10 forms part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 2026, continuing the legacy of the 1951 Festival of Britain in showcasing the best of British creativity to communities across all four nations of the UK.
