We are thrilled to announce that Spike Island will join forces with Arnolfini, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and RWA Bristol to host the 10th edition of the British Art Show in Bristol from June to September 2027. 

This landmark edition of the UK’s largest recurring exhibition of contemporary art will visit five cities: opening in Coventry in September 2026, before traveling to Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield, and Newcastle Gateshead.  The 10th edition will be curated by the renowned Ekow Eshun and produced by Hayward Gallery Touring. Eshun’s vision promises a compelling snapshot of the most exciting art of the past five years, building on his acclaimed projects such as In the Black Fantastic at Hayward Gallery in 2022. 

For over 40 years, British Art Show has been a vital platform for showcasing ground-breaking work from across the UK, introducing audiences to artists who have gone on to shape British art history—from David Hockney and Bridget Riley to Sonia Boyce and John Akomfrah. The show occurs every 5 years and tours multiple cities across the Four Nations in each edition. This is a huge benefit to participating arts organisations, as the show has a proven track record of significantly boosting participation in the arts in host cities—attracting 40% first-time visitors in its most recent edition 

2027 will be the third time that Bristol has hosted the British Art Show, the first occurring in 1980 when the show was curated by the art critic and painter William Packer and hosted by Arnolfini and RWA in conjunction with City Museum and Art Gallery. Names appearing in that show include Frank Bowling, David Hockney, Maggi Hambling, Bridget Riley, Albert Irvin, and Lucian Freud. 

The show returned to Bristol in 2006 for its 6th edition curated by Alex Farquarson (the present-day Director of Tate Britain) and Andrea Schlieker (present-day Director of Exhibitions and Displays at Tate Britain). Spike Island hosted the show alongside Arnolfini, Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, RWA Bristol and Station (on Phoenix Wharf, opposite Thekla), alongside past project space R O O M. 

In that year, Spike Island commissioned renowned artist Hew Locke to create a new series of works. The result, entitled Restoration, explored Bristol’s relationship with statues and commemoration, and included a work that saw the statue of slave trader Edward Colston (the same one that now lies fallen and vandalised in the M Shed museum) adorned mockingly in gilt gold, glitter, corrie shells and trade beads, a work that seems more relevant than ever. 

The full list of British Art Show 10 venues are:
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Mead Gallery and Coventry University, Coventry; Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Elysium Gallery, GS Artists, Mission Gallery and Volcano Theatre, Swansea; Arnolfini, Spike Island, Bristol Museum and RWA Bristol, Bristol; Millennium Gallery, Graves Gallery, Site Gallery, Yorkshire Artspace and Arts Catalyst, Sheffield; Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle Contemporary Art, Laing Art Gallery and Shipley Art Gallery, Newcastle and Gateshead.