Sheffield has been named as one of the host cities of one of the UK’s most prestigious art events, British Art Show. Curated by Ekow Eshun and produced in collaboration with Hayward Gallery Touring, the landmark tenth edition will tour to Sheffield in October 2027 through a multi-venue partnership between Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Museums, Site Gallery, Yorkshire Artspace and Arts Catalyst.

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. The tenth edition 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 Sheffield 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).

Returning to Sheffield for the first time since 1985, British Art Show 10 will be presented across multiple venues and organisations in the city, including Graves Gallery, Millennium Gallery, Site Gallery, Yorkshire Artspace and Arts Catalyst, and will be accompanied be a vibrant programme of events, display and activities.

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.”