Art news to be on your radar this week: 23-29 March 2026

This week’s art news to be on your radar (23–29 March 2026) features announcements of new exhibitions, curatorial appointments, and public engagement initiatives. Tate unveils its first garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the Estorick Collection is set to open Emilio Isgrò’s Erasing to Create, and Ibraaz announces their spring and summer exhibitions with the first show, Hrair Sarkissian’s Stolen Past, opening this week at 93 Mortimer Street. The Southbank Centre is also calling for public memories of the 1951 Festival of Britain to mark its 75th anniversary.

Tate unveils plans for its first garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Tate is creating its first garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, The Tate Britain Garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and inspired by Tate Britain’s art collection. The garden will feature Dame Barbara Hepworth’s Bicentric Form for the first time at the Show, alongside sustainable planting, recycled materials, and innovative design elements that preview the forthcoming Clore Garden at Tate Britain, opening in 2027. It combines art, nature, and community spaces for relaxation, learning, and creativity.

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Tate Britain Garden design for Chelsea 2026. Courtesy Tom Stuart-Smith Studio

Emilio Isgrò: Erasing to Create

This May, the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in London presents Emilio Isgrò’s Erasing to Create, a major retrospective tracing the Italian artist’s six-decade career from his 1960s conceptual works to his latest explorations. The exhibition showcases around 35 iconic pieces, including Isgrò’s celebrated Cancellatura (‘Erasure’) works, in which printed words and letters are obscured to generate new meanings and visual rhythms, as well as his later interventions on maps and globes that challenge notions of space, identity, and history. Organised with the Consulate General of Italy and the Fondazione Emilio Isgrò, the show highlights the artist’s belief that erasing “does not destroy but creates; it does not censor but reveals,” offering visitors a reflection on language, knowledge, and the visual culture of communication.

Date: 20 May- 6 September 2026. Location: Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is 39A Canonbury Square, London N1 2AN. estorickcollection.com

Emilio Isgrò, Storia inglese, 1969. (English History). Indian ink on book in box of wood and plexiglass. 50 x 85.1 x 7.5 cm. Fondazione Emilio Isgrò

Helen Legg appointed as new artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Arts

The Royal Academy of Arts has announced Helen Legg as its new Artistic Director, succeeding her current role as Director of Tate Liverpool. Legg will begin in June 2026, overseeing the RA’s exhibition programme, collection, and public initiatives. With an early curatorial career at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, and leadership of Spike Island, Bristol from 2010, she has guided Tate Liverpool since 2018, delivering major international exhibitions and commissions. The Academy will also welcome two senior leaders: Livia Evans as Commercial Director, bringing over a decade of experience from The John Lewis Partnership, and Lamia Dabboussy as Director of Brand & Audiences, previously Director of Engagement at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

Helen Legg. Photo: Emma Case.

Southbank Centre seeks memories of the 1951 Festival of Britain to mark 75 years

To mark its 75th anniversary, the Southbank Centre is inviting the public to share their memories of the 1951 Festival of Britain, whether from visits to the South Bank site in London, home to the Royal Festival Hall, or from one of the many regional events across the country. Designed as “a tonic for the nation” after years of war and economic hardship, the Festival attracted an estimated half of the UK population and showcased creativity and innovation. The Royal Festival Hall, the only surviving structure from the original site, remains a lasting symbol of the Festival’s legacy. Leading cultural figures have already shared their recollections, including Dame Jacqueline Wilson, who fondly remembers dancing after dark with her parents, and poet Roger McGough, who was “overawed” by the celebrations as a 14-year-old. Stories submitted will be added to the Southbank Centre archive, preserving this living history for future generations. Submissions can be made via southbankcentre.co.uk.

The Royal Festival Hall is the only surviving structure from the 1951 Festival of Britain site, pictured here. Image courtesy Southbank Centre archive. 

Photo London unveils exciting programme for debut edition at Olympia

Photo London 2026 marks a new chapter as the UK’s leading photography fair relocates to Olympia in Kensington, unveiling an expanded and reimagined programme for its eleventh edition. Highlights include the Master of Photography award presented to renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel, a groundbreaking exhibition by Autograph showcasing women and non-binary artists, and the introduction of a dedicated Film Screening Room for artists’ films, including Sarah Moon’s There is something about Lillian. New sections such as Source for solo presentations, an expanded Discovery for emerging galleries with strong South Asian representation, and the second edition of Positions for unrepresented photographers reflect the Fair’s commitment to innovation and diversity. Returning features include a major expansion of the Publishers section, a Talks Programme curated by Thames & Hudson, and awards recognising emerging and student photographers.

Date: 14–17 May 2026 (VIP preview 13 May). Location: Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX. Price: Preview £200, Standard £32, Concession £24, Off-peak £20, Weekend pass £50.  Book now

Jane Evelyn Atwood, Auto-Portrait (Serpent), 1978. © In Camera, Paris / L Parker Stephenson, New York

Ibraaz’s Spring & Summer exhibition programme

Ibraaz announces its spring and summer exhibition programme at its new London home on 93 Mortimer Street, a 10,000-square-foot Grade II listed building. The programme presents recently co-commissioned works by artists, thinkers, and practitioners from the Global Majority, with a curatorial focus on restitution, repair, and spiritual practice. Highlights include Joe Namy’s Cosmic Breath on display in the Musalla until 30 August, Hrair Sarkissian’s Stolen Past in the Majlis from 25 March to 24 May, Dala Nasser’s Church of St Christopher – Kabr Hiram from 24 June to 13 September, and The Otolith Group’s Library-in-Residence: A Flock of Keen-Eyed and Far-Seeing Magpies continuing in the Iqra until 6 September. The exhibitions explore memory, sound, architecture, and creative practice, inviting audiences to engage with art as a process of dialogue and reflection, while Ibraaz Publishing complements the programme with transnational research and critical materials.

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Ibraaz at 93 Mortimer Street. Image courtesy of Ibraaz. Image credit Vipul Sangoi.

Tate announces 2027 exhibition programme across all venues

Tate has unveiled its 2027 exhibition programme across Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. Highlights include David Hockney’s 90th birthday exhibitions at both London sites, major shows of Sonia Boyce and Chila Kumari Singh Burman, and retrospectives of Gainsborough, Monet and Munch, as well as the UK’s first major exhibitions of artists such as Baya, Nalini Malani and Gulnur Mukazhanova. Tate Liverpool reopens with new galleries and a large-scale solo exhibition by Burman, while Tate St Ives hosts Mukazhanova and the Turner Prize for the first time in the Southwest. Group exhibitions explore Tudor art and Asian ink painting, alongside commissions, artist films and refreshed collections. Click here for more.

Image courtesy of Art Basel

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 to open this week

Art Basel Hong Kong is set to open this week, bringing together around 240 galleries from more than 40 countries at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and reinforcing the city’s status as a global art hub. The 2026 edition places a strong emphasis on Asia-Pacific artists alongside major international names, while new curated sections highlight recent work and the growing influence of digital and AI-driven art. Set against a cautiously recovering market, galleries are balancing established figures with emerging talent to attract collectors, while a citywide programme of exhibitions, installations, and screenings extends the fair’s impact beyond the main venue. FLO London will be in attendance follow our instagram for live updates and watch out for some of our artists recommendations.

Date: 27–29 March 2026 (VIP previews 25–26 March). Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong. Price: From approx. HKD 410–740 (£40–£75) for standard tickets. Book now