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What's on
The markets, craft events, exhibitions and small, lovely things worth your time — hand-picked, never the tourist-trap stuff. If it's here, we'd go ourselves.
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This month · Exhibition
ExhibitionUntil 27 Sept · Colchester
Tim Noble & Sue Webster: Love and Hate — Last Weeks
Free, glowing neon-sign sculptures fill Colchester's contemporary art gallery — catch this long-running show before it finally closes.
Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1JHFree entry, no booking
ExhibitionUntil 17 Oct · Liverpool
Vivienne Westwood: Designer in Focus
Rare pieces from Vivienne Westwood's five-decade career, including her early work with Malcolm McLaren, free to see at the Walker.
Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8ELFree admission
ExhibitionUntil 27 Sept · Birmingham
Ozzy Osbourne (1948–2025): Working Class Hero
Ozzy's Grammys, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honours and gold discs, free at Birmingham's own museum — extended repeatedly, closing for good soon.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DHFree entry, no booking required
ExhibitionUntil 6 Dec · Aberdeen
Aberdeen Artworlds: The Linklater Collection
A free exhibition marking 50 years of the Linklater Collection, with Scottish Colourists, Joan Eardley and Anne Redpath on show.
The Gallery, Sir Duncan Rice Library, University of Aberdeen, Bedford Road, Aberdeen AB24 3AAFree
ExhibitionUntil 15 Nov · Manchester
Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai and Hiroshige
The Whitworth's first Japanese print exhibition in over a century, built around Hokusai's Great Wave — free entry.
The Whitworth, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ERFree
ExhibitionUntil 18 Oct · Manchester
Michaela Yearwood-Dan: The Practice of Liberation
A major free UK debut installation of painting, ceramics and sound at Manchester's much-loved university gallery.
Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ERFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 18 Oct · Eastbourne
Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism
The definitive show on Britain's 1930s anti-fascist artists' movement, uniting eleven founding members' work with Nash, Knight and Pissarro.
Towner Eastbourne, Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4JJ£5.50–£11 (under-25s free; pay-what-you-can first Friday of the month; Towner members free)
ExhibitionUntil 4 Oct · Norwich
Living by the Rule: Contemporary Meets Medieval
An exhibition pairing contemporary artists with medieval monastic art and objects, exploring rules, ritual and rebellion.
Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Earlham Road, Norwich, NR4 7TJPay if and what you want
ExhibitionUntil 4 Apr · Cardiff
Ffasiwn at National Museum Cardiff
A decade of "anti-fashion" portraiture from the south Wales Valleys, told by the young people who lived it.
National Museum Cardiff, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NPFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 4 Oct · Wolverhampton
Andy Warhol: Art Star
A major Tate/National Galleries Scotland partnership show of screenprints, paintings and photographs spanning Warhol's whole career.
Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DU£9 adult / £4.50 concessions, free under-21s; pay-what-you-can Sun 6 & 20 Sept
ExhibitionUntil 1 Nov · Chichester
British Landscapes: A Sense of Place
Sixty-plus artists' takes on Britain's coasts and countryside, from 18th-century idylls to unsettled modern views, in a Georgian townhouse gallery.
Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ£14 (Art Fund members £7.25; under-18s, students & Gallery Friends free)
ExhibitionUntil 27 Sept · Chester
Earth Stories: Plwm/Lead at Grosvenor Museum
A free exhibition turning lead mining and stone extraction on Halkyn Mountain into quietly powerful 2D and 3D work.
Grosvenor Museum, 27 Grosvenor Street, Chester, CH1 2DDFree entry, donations welcome
ExhibitionUntil 1 Nov · Derby
Wright of Derby: From the Shadows
Two of Joseph Wright's candlelight masterpieces return to his hometown for the first time in 80 years, free.
Derby Museum and Art Gallery, The Strand, Derby, DE1 1BSFree
ExhibitionUntil 18 Apr · Wakefield
Hold to This Earth: Contemporary Indigenous North American Art
Yorkshire Sculpture Park's first-ever group show, bringing 38 contemporary Indigenous North American artists to the Underground Gallery.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG£9.50 adult, £7 concession, free for under-18s (covers the whole park)
ExhibitionUntil 30 May · Norwich
Tree of Life — Seyi Adelekun
An immersive, hand-woven sisal-rope installation honouring trees as anchors of cultural memory, filling the Sainsbury Centre's East End Gallery.
Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJPay what you want
ExhibitionUntil 20 Sept · Ceredigion
Brexit Wales, 10 Years On
Four Welsh photographers and artists mark a decade since the referendum with a free, thoughtful exhibition on what actually changed.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DEFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 27 Sept · Edinburgh
Anne Hardy: Feelings
A major new solo show fills Talbot Rice Gallery's grand Georgian rooms with immersive photographic installation and sound, free all summer.
Talbot Rice Gallery, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH8 9YLFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 20 Sept · London
Waldmüller: Landscapes
The first UK exhibition devoted to Austrian landscapist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, with major loans from Vienna's Belvedere — closing soon.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DNFree
ExhibitionUntil 17 Jan · Gateshead
Chitra Ganesh & Tish Murtha at BALTIC
Two free, drop-in exhibitions on Gateshead Quayside — a Brooklyn artist's UK debut and Tish Murtha's Tyneside photography.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, NE8Free
ExhibitionUntil 4 Oct · Plymouth
Gillian Ayres: A Life in Colour
The first major retrospective of British abstract painter Gillian Ayres, bringing together 26 works spanning seven decades at Plymouth's flagship museum.
The Box, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, PL4 8AXFree entry (pay-what-you-can booking encouraged for priority access)
ExhibitionUntil 4 Oct · Ipswich
Constable: Walking the Landscape
A major loan exhibition of John Constable's landscapes, including The Hay Wain, marking his 250th anniversary.
Christchurch Mansion, Soane Street, Ipswich, IP4 2BE£10 (concessions available)
ExhibitionUntil 31 Oct · Wrexham
Anthony Shapland: murmur
A major free solo show from Welsh artist Anthony Shapland exploring rural queerness through new film and light-and-sound work.
Tŷ Pawb, Market Street, Wrexham, LL13 8BBFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 20 Sept · Swansea
Swansea Open 2026
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery's celebrated open-submission show, spotlighting a record 400 Swansea-connected artists across every medium.
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Alexandra Road, Swansea SA1 5DZFree
ExhibitionUntil 31 Oct · Colchester
Museum of the Moon at Colchester Castle
A glowing seven-metre lunar sculpture by artist Luke Jerram floats inside Britain's oldest Norman keep for its final weeks on show.
Colchester Castle, Castle Park, High Street, Colchester CO1 1TJCastle admission (adult £13.95, child £8.50) plus £1 exhibition supplement
ExhibitionUntil 21 Feb · Birmingham
Every Thing Must Go: Joe Lycett
Comedian Joe Lycett's tongue-in-cheek debut painting exhibition turns extinct chocolate bars and lost buildings into art.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DHFree
ExhibitionUntil 20 Sept · London
TONIC FLOW: A Communal Chorus in Colour and Sound
A free sound-and-colour installation on the Southbank made with young refugees and asylum seekers.
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XXFree
ExhibitionUntil 11 Oct · Gloucester
Pictures, Places & Story Spaces
A free family exhibition of art inspired by Gloucester's streets and buildings, with a cosy pop-up reading library for little ones.
Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1HPFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 23 Oct · Leeds
Reflections in Silver
Two new commissions of contemporary silver by Miriam Hanid and Yusuke Yamamoto, inspired by Temple Newsam's own silver collection and grounds.
Temple Newsam, Leeds LS15 0AEHouse admission £10 adult; gardens free
ExhibitionUntil 26 Sept · Southport
QuARTet at The Atkinson
Four Sefton-based artists share the gallery in a free group show inside Southport's civic arts building on Lord Street.
The Landing, The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DBFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 15 Nov · Dundee
France-Lise McGurn: The Charm Offensive
A Dundee-trained painter's biggest UK show yet, spilling off the canvas and across both DCA galleries.
Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4DYFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 21 Sept · St Ives
Penwith Gallery Autumn Exhibitions
Three concurrent contemporary art exhibitions at St Ives's artist-run Penwith Gallery, housed in a former pilchard-packing works.
Penwith Gallery, Back Road West, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1NLFree entry
Exhibition👋 Meet peopleUntil 3 Oct · Manchester
ADORN: Sculptural Jewellery / Wearable Art
A free jewellery exhibition of 12 contemporary makers working in metal and glass, staged for Manchester's first-ever Jewellery Week.
Waterside Arts Centre, 1 Waterside Plaza, Sale, Trafford, Greater Manchester M33 7ZFFree
Exhibition👋 Meet peopleUntil 1 Nov · Bradford
Here, Somehow — Jenny Bratt
A tender first solo show of neighbourhood paintings by Joan Day Bursary winner Jenny Bratt, in a converted 19th-century cottage gallery.
South Square Centre, Southgate, Thornton, Bradford BD13 3LDFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 28 Oct · Cardiff
Enamel, Glass, Pâte de Verre: as Material Thought
A free exhibition at Craft in the Bay exploring enamel and glass as materials for ideas, not just decoration, from leading Welsh craft makers.
Craft in the Bay, The Flourish, Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff CF10 4QHFree admission
ExhibitionUntil 11 Jul · London
The Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry comes to London for the first time in 900 years, on loan to the British Museum in a major once-in-a-generation show.
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG£25–£33 depending on time slot; under-16s free with an adult
Exhibition👋 Meet peopleUntil 11 Oct · Richmond
Past Made Present — Ham House and Garden
Emerging furniture and product designers respond to William Morris inside a Stuart mansion and its riverside garden.
Ham House, Ham Street, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey TW10 7RSIncluded with garden admission (National Trust members free)
Exhibition👋 Meet peopleUntil 4 Oct · Northampton
Nine @ 78 Derngate
A free multi-artist exhibition of glass, sculpture, mosaics, painting and print running through the Mackintosh house and garden in Northampton.
78 Derngate — The Charles Rennie Mackintosh House, 78 Derngate, Northampton NN1 1UHFree
ExhibitionUntil 17 Jan · London
Liz Larner: A Hard Line to Bend
The sculptor's first UK institutional show — ceramic "asteroids" and radical material experiments, free to visit.
Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road, London NW3 6DGFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 3 Jan · Bristol
RWA 173rd Annual Open Exhibition
Bristol's major open-submission show, with 500+ contemporary works spanning painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media.
Royal West of England Academy, Queens Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX£8.90 (£4.45 with National Art Pass)
ExhibitionTue 15 – Sat 19 Sept · Winchester
Wild! A Festival of Flowers and Nature
A once-every-four-years flower festival fills Winchester Cathedral's ancient nave with wild, immersive floral art.
Winchester Cathedral, 9 The Close, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9LSFrom £19
ExhibitionUntil 1 Nov · London
Frieze Sculpture
Eleven international artists' large-scale sculptures spread through Regent's Park's English Gardens, free to wander any day.
The English Gardens, The Regent's Park, LondonFree
ExhibitionWed 16 Sept · London
Nature and Us
A free new gallery reopening a room hidden since the Second World War, with 50 objects tracing humans' relationship with nature.
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BDFree
ExhibitionUntil 14 Feb · Liverpool
Rae-Yen Song at FACT Liverpool
A free, immersive exhibition of new sculpture, textiles and sound inspired by diasporic mythology and family lore, opening at FACT Liverpool.
FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool L1 4DQFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 17 Jan · York
Turner, Wedgwood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman
A major new York Art Gallery show marking 200 years since sculptor John Flaxman, with over 70 loaned works.
York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York YO1 7EWFrom £7.50, included in gallery admission
ExhibitionUntil 1 May · Gateshead
BALTIC Open Submission 2026
BALTIC's flagship open-call exhibition of around 100 works by artists from across the region and beyond, free to visit on Gateshead's quayside.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead NE8 3BAFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 7 Nov · Bath
Bath Society of Artists 121st Open Exhibition
Bath's long-running open-submission show fills the Victoria Art Gallery with local painting, print and sculpture alongside invited artist Basil Beattie RA.
Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AT£9 adult (Upper Gallery free; half price with National Art Pass)
ExhibitionUntil 31 Jan · Cambridge
Sunil Gupta: Life with a Camera
A major, free photography retrospective opens at Kettle's Yard, tracing five decades of Sunil Gupta's work.
Kettle's Yard, Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 17 Jan · Colchester
Simon Carter: From the Landscape
Essex artist Simon Carter's most ambitious show yet turns Firstsite's galleries into a walk-through painting of the coast — free entry.
Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester CO1 1JHFree
ExhibitionUntil 24 Oct · Norwich
Print Rotate Repeat
A free exhibition at Norwich University of the Arts exploring pattern design in the age of AI, with talks and workshops alongside.
East Gallery NUA, Cavendish House, St Andrews Street, Norwich NR2 4AEFree admission
ExhibitionUntil 10 Jan · Derby
Collateral Echoes — Baff Akoto at QUAD
A powerful new exhibition of film, XR and immersive sound exploring memory, grief and justice, opening at Derby's QUAD gallery.
QUAD, Market Place, Derby, DE1 3ASFree entry
ExhibitionUntil 1 Mar · Wakefield
Double Take: Olivia Bax
Twenty new and recent sculptures by Olivia Bax — welded frames, metal mesh and vivid colour — in the Weston Gallery at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Weston Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LGFrom £10 adult; 18 and under free; parking included
ExhibitionUntil 29 Mar · Middlesbrough
Turner Prize 2026
Britain's most talked-about art prize lands in Teesside — four shortlisted artists, free entry, no queue-worthy hype needed.
MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), Centre Square, Middlesbrough TS1 2AZFree
ExhibitionUntil 21 Feb · Birmingham
Balraj Khanna: Lines of Flight
The first major UK survey of painter Balraj Khanna opens at Ikon, tracing six decades of colourful, playful abstraction — free entry.
Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HSFree
ExhibitionUntil 31 Oct · Cley Next The Sea
2026 Nature Photography Competition Exhibition at Cley Marshes
Norfolk Wildlife Trust displays the winning and highly commended shots from its 2026 nature photography competition on the north Norfolk coast.
NWT Cley Marshes Visitor Centre, Coast Road, Cley next the Sea, Norfolk NR25 7SAFree
ExhibitionFri 2 – Sun 4 Oct · Brighton
Photoworks Festival: Un/Stable
Opening weekend of Brighton's international photography festival, spread across museums and city-wide venues.
Venues across Brighton & Hove, including Brighton Museums and University of Brighton spacesMany events free; check individual venues
ExhibitionUntil 10 Jan · Coventry
British Art Show 10
The UK's biggest touring survey of contemporary art opens its landmark 10th edition in Coventry, spanning the Herbert Art Gallery, Mead Gallery and Coventry University.
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QPHerbert general admission £4.50 day pass (£3.00 Go CV+ cardholders), under-16s free
ExhibitionUntil 31 Jan · London
Painting the French Riviera
Over 160 works trace how the French Riviera shaped modern art, from Matisse and Signac to mid-century travel posters and film.
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD£24-£26; free for RA Friends
ExhibitionUntil 11 Apr · Walsall
Charmaine Watkiss: The Things We Hold Sacred
A major new solo exhibition of drawing and sculpture opens at the New Art Gallery Walsall, built around a newly commissioned installation.
The New Art Gallery Walsall, Gallery Square, Walsall WS2 8LGFree
ExhibitionUntil 11 Apr · Oxford
Mike Nelson at Modern Art Oxford
The elusive British sculptor returns to Modern Art Oxford for his first show there in over two decades, with a major new immersive installation.
Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BPFree admission
ExhibitionUntil 24 Jan · Margate
Sophie Calle: Something Missing?
The first UK show in over fifteen years from one of contemporary art's great chroniclers of absence and loss.
Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate, Kent CT9 1HGFree
Exhibition👋 Meet peopleUntil 14 Mar · Leicester
Jemisha Maadhavji: I Dream From Where You Are
A free solo show of pattern-rich portrait paintings and sculpture by Leicester artist Jemisha Maadhavji, opening with a launch evening.
Attenborough Arts Centre, University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 7HAFree
ExhibitionUntil 10 Jan · Nottingham
Julia Isídrez: Mud is Everything
A Paraguayan ceramicist's first-ever UK show turns raw clay into something startling at Nottingham's free contemporary art gallery.
Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GBFree (suggested £5 donation)
ExhibitionUntil 14 Feb · Bristol
Bristol Photo Festival: Time Machine
Bristol's leading galleries and museums throw open nine major photography exhibitions exploring time as layered and cyclical rather than a straight line.
Multiple venues including Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RLFree (donations welcome)
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