The landmark 10th edition of British Art Show is coming to Bristol.

From 19 June to 19 September 2027, the touring exhibition will be hosted by Spike Island alongside Bristol partners Arnolfini Arts, Bristol Museums, and RWA Bristol.

Curator Ekow Eshun’s vision brings together over 30 artists, showcasing the most exciting art produced in the UK over the last five years, to make us think about how art can challenge fears of otherness and difference.

Organised around three interwoven themes – Moments of Being, Ways of Living and States of Nature – British Art Show 10: A Chorus of Strangers takes place against a backdrop of heightened anxiety intensified by a divisive political culture, an accelerating climate crisis, and growing public distrust in institutions. In polarising times, the exhibition asks: what forms might empathy or shared imagination take?

Full list of artists:

Okiki Akinfe; Alex Margo Arden; Liz Johnson Artur; Alvaro Barrington; Shiraz Bayjoo; Lubna Chowdhary; Shawanda Corbett; Jesse Darling; Ufuoma Essi; Joy Gerrard; Louise Giovanelli; Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings; Kudzanai-Violet Hwami; Nnena Kalu; Jasleen Kaur; Christina Kimeze; Julian knxx; Matthew Krishanu; Alastair Mackinven; Melanie Manchot; Lindsey Mendick; Emma McNally; Dala Nasser; Jack O’Brien; Nengi Omuku; Precious Okoyomon; Hannah Perry; Mohammed Sami; Rae-Yen Song; Emma Talbot; Nicole Wermers; Osman Yousefzada.

Invitation to Bristol-based artists, arts organisations and collectives

British Art Show

British Art Show launched in 1979 and takes place every five years. Over the past four decades, the exhibition has reached over 2.3 million people, highlighted new trends in contemporary art and reflected a changing Britain. Themes explored have ranged from the geopolitical to the personal, the changing nature of British identity, popular culture, the impact of technology on human existence, and more.

The show is unmatched in its national scope and has introduced many of the UK’s most significant artists to millions of people across the country, including David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Lucian Freud, Frank Bowling, Paula Rego, Mary Kelly, Frank Auerbach, Mona Hatoum, Cornelia Parker, Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread, Sonia Boyce, Sarah Lucas, Jeremy Deller, Tracey Emin, Hew Locke, John Akomfrah and Michael Armitage.

British Art Show 10 will be a 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. 

Partners and Supporters

British Art Show 10: A Chorus of Strangers is a Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition organised in collaboration with galleries across the cities of Coventry, Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield and Newcastle.