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Hayward Gallery Touring announces curator and cities for landmark 10th edition of British Art Show 

British Art Show 10 will open in Coventry and then tour to Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield and Newcastle Gateshead 

Today, Hayward Gallery Touring announces Ekow Eshun as curator of British Art Show 10. Opening in Coventry in September 2026, British Art Show 10 will tour to Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield and Newcastle Gateshead. The tenth edition marks the first time the exhibition will travel to five cities across the UK in its most extensive presentation to date. 

British Art Show is the largest and most significant recurring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK. It is developed and produced by Hayward Gallery Touring, the UK’s leading contemporary art organisation producing touring exhibitions, which is part of the Southbank Centre.  

British Art Show 10 is part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations, which will take place across 2026 both at the Southbank Centre in London and in art galleries, concert halls and arts centres in towns and cities across all four nations of the UK.  

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. 

Under the vision of Ekow Eshun, British Art Show 10 will provide a vital overview of the most exciting art produced in the UK during the past five years. Eshun is renowned for his leading curation with critically acclaimed projects including: In the Black Fantastic (Hayward Gallery); The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure (National Portrait Gallery); and We Are History (Somerset House).  

British Art Show 10 will tour to multiple sites in each of the five cities: 

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

As a major part of Hayward Gallery Touring’s programme, British Art Show continues its work of partnering with a range of regional venues to broaden cultural access, with its most recent edition drawing around 40% first-time visitors to local art spaces.  

Ekow Eshun, Curator of British Art Show 10, says: “It is a great honour to be appointed curator of the British Art Show, an exhibition that has long played a pivotal role in shaping and reflecting the discourse of contemporary art in the UK. I am thrilled by the opportunity to engage with artists whose practices speak powerfully to our time, and to craft a show that invites reflection, provokes dialogue, and expands the ways we engage with art in Britain today.” 

Brian Cass, Head of Hayward Gallery Touring, says: “Over its almost 50 year history British Art Show has been unrivalled in its artistic ambitions and national reach, each edition engaging with the most significant art of its time. Ekow Eshun has an extraordinary track record of making exhibitions that shape the conversation about art and culture and we are looking forward to the new perspectives he will bring to British Art Show 10, and working with our partners to expand the exhibitions reach and relevance for audiences in Coventry, Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield and Newcastle Gateshead.” 

Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, says: “The Southbank Centre was born as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951 – a nationwide celebration and ‘beacon of change’ showcasing the best in arts, technology and science; a look to a future filled with hope and optimism. As we near the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary, we have sought real inspiration from the spirit of the Festival of Britain and the British Art Show is a quintessential example of this; presenting exciting and innovative artists that speak to our time to audiences across the country. We’re thrilled to be taking the British Art Show to more people and cities than ever before, collaborating with and supporting creative spaces across the UK and opening up contemporary art to as many people as possible.” 

Further information about the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary programme will be announced in September, but will include a national programme that visits all four nations of the UK, of which the British Art Show is part.