Bristol has carved out its niche in the UK as an ‘arty city’. Thanks to its thriving street art and amazing art galleries, there are always incredible art exhibitions in Bristol to see—from local and international talent, get your dose of culture with these upcoming art exhibitions in Bristol. Will you see ’em at the museum?
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
1. Jessica Ashman: ‘Those that do not smile will kill me’: Decolonising Jamaican Flora
Since summer 2023, Jessica Ashman has been working with Bristol Museum & Art Gallery’s collection, researching archives from the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection and exploring specimens in the Natural History collection. She has produced a new multi-disciplinary installation, ‘Those that do not smile will kill me’: Decolonising Jamaican Flora. Ashman explores how Indigenous and African-Jamaicans used plants to resist their enslavement—from food to poisons, hallucinogens, medicine and birth control.
February 22 – July 27, 2025
2. Gender Stories
Challenging rigid definitions and binary narratives, Gender Stories dives deep into the connections between sex, gender, sexuality, and identity. With works by Grayson Perry, David Hockney, Catherine Opie, and more, discover how art can be a space for reflection on the fluidity of gender and the evolving understanding of self-expression. Exclusively for Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, trans artist and educator, Mister SAMO, has been commissioned to create two large murals in situ in the lead up to the exhibition launch.
May 31 – October 12, 2025
3. Bristol Pride x Martin Parr
The world-famous photographer Martin Parr teams up with Bristol Pride for a retrospective of the city’s annual Pride festival. Parr’s fly-on-the-wall, documentary style, captures the city’s colourful Parade and all the different walks of life that celebrate and protest.
May 27 – November 23, 2025
Spike Island
4. Donald Locke: Resistant Forms
The first major survey exhibition of Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke (1930–2010). Exploring the development of his work across Guyana, the UK and the United States over five decades, Resistant Forms features over eighty works, from early ceramics to mixed-media sculptures and monochromatic black paintings. Included are several large-scale paintings from the 1990s that incorporate found images along with ceramic, metal and wood elements.
May 31 to September 7, 2025
Arnolfini
5. Tapestry of Black Britons
Image credits Imperial War Museum (K 5145(A)) + Photo credit: Dash + Miller (Designed by Paula Ogun Hector)
Tapestry of Black Britons is a multi-participant evolving artwork touring the UK, curated by creative director Paula Ogun Hector and woven by Bristol-based textile company Dash + Miller. Aiming to elevate Black British History, this woven artwork explores the African and Caribbean contribution to Britain from the Romans onwards, echoing the Bayeux Tapestry and incorporating Kente cloth weaving and Caribbean textiles.
May 9 – June 29, 2025
6. Dana Awartani
Born in Saudi Arabia and of Palestinian descent, Dana Awartani will exhibit her first European solo exhibition. Awartani’s work is steeped in historical and visual references from Islamic and Arab art-making traditions, from darning to stonemasonry, and includes painting, sculpture, performance and installation. This Arnolfini exhibition encompasses the breadth of her multidisciplinary practice, allowing audiences to explore a larger body of the artist’s work.
June 28 – September 28, 2025
7. Sahara Longe
British artist Sahara Longe’s first institutional exhibition shows off a new body of work. Continuing her exploration of semi-abstract figures as they move between private and public spaces, Longe returns to the clothed figure, capturing fleeting moments and the anonymity of the city against richly coloured backdrops inspired by post-war patterns.
June 28 – September 28, 2025
RWA
8. Soft Power: lives told through textile art
Soft Power highlights how cloth plays a unique role in telling our stories and life’s journey—from the autobiographical struggles of marginalised individuals to major events like the pandemic. These works share intimate and emotional portrayals of self-expression while highlighting how cloth can connect women across cultures.
May 17 – August 10, 2025
Martin Parr Foundation
9. Jon Tonks: A Fish Called Julie
Jon Tonks spent over a year with those trying to fish sustainably in waters off Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, documenting stories of those preserving the livelihoods, culture, and marine life supported by blue waters—working with We Feed The UK to share these stories and support nature-friendly food production.
April 3 – June 22, 2025
Undershed
10. FRAMERATE: Pulse of the Earth
Watershed’s immersive gallery, Undershed, welcomes its second ever exhibition. FRAMERATE: Pulse of the Earth is spread across multiple screens and takes over the whole space to showcase the landscape of our changing world. This immersive artwork is by award-winning UK artists ScanLAB Projects.
May 2 – July 13, 2025