Must-see art exhibitions in Margate this summer 2025
Nestled along the Kent coastline, Margate is famous for its beautiful beaches and breathtaking sea views in the summer. But beyond the shores, this vibrant town offers an equally compelling reason to visit: its thriving art scene. From historic galleries to bold contemporary spaces, Margate is also home to commissions by renowned artists including Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, and Yinka Shonibare. With so much creative energy, it’s no wonder Margate is quickly becoming an art hotspot. Here is our guide to the must-see art exhibitions in Margate this summer!
Steve McQueen: Resistance
Demonstration against the imminent invasion of Iraq by Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain, 15 February 2003. Image credit: © Andrew Wiard/ reportphotos.com. Courtesy of Andrew Wiard.
#FLODown: Resistance is a powerful exploration of protest photography over the last century, curated by the Oscar-winning artist Steve McQueen. The exhibition brings together powerful images that document social resistance movements, showing how these photographs have shaped public perception and inspired change. McQueen’s carefully curated selection examines the role of photography in activism and its ongoing impact on society.
Dates: until 1 June 2025. Location: Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. turnercontemporary.org.
Barnaby Barford & Pascal Wyse:Day Trip
Barford and Wayne, Day Trip. Liminal Gallery. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: Day Trip is a playful, immersive journey into British beach culture, brought to life through sculpture and sound. Melting ice creams, gull cries, and nostalgic details transport visitors to a dreamlike seaside world. Barford and Wyse blend art and memory to craft a whimsical yet poignant reflection on time and place.
Date: 5 April – 24 May 2025. Location: Liminal Gallery, 34 Fort Hill, Margate CT9 1HD. liminal-gallery.com
TKE Studios Spring Show
TKE Studios.
#FLODown: TKE Studios, founded and owned by Tracey Emin, is a creative hub designed to support both emerging and established artists through studio space and residency opportunities. The Spring Show is the culmination of the Victoria House Residency, bringing together works developed during the programme by TM Davy and Alina Zamanova, alongside pieces by Emin herself and a wide roster of artists including Layla Andrews, Gabriela Max, Studio Lenca, and Lindsey Mendick. The exhibition reflects personal, imaginative, and often emotional responses shaped during time spent in Margate.
Dates: 27 April – 27 July 2025. Opening hours: Saturdays & Sundays, Noon – 5pm (by appointment at other times). Location: TKE Studios, 99 Victoria Rd, Cliftonville, Margate CT9 1RD. traceyeminfoundation.com
TM Davy: Tine Mara
TM Davy, Tine Mara. Carl Freedman Gallery, Installation View, Margate, 2025.
#FLODown: Tine Mara is a radiant series of oil paintings by New York artist TM Davy, shaped by queerness, myth, and the shifting nature of light. The works combine personal moments with symbolic imagery, creating scenes that feel both timeless and lived. Davy paints with a tenderness that carries emotional weight, drawing the viewer into a world where desire, ritual, and beauty unfold with quiet intensity.
Date: 27 April – 22 June 2025. Location: Carl Freedman Gallery, 28 Union Crescent, Margate CT9 1NS. carlfreedman.com
JJ Chan & Josie KO
JJ Chan: Some Forms of Togetherness. Quench Gallery. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: Quench Gallery in Cliftonville presents two concurrent exhibitions that explore how we relate to ourselves and each other — from the bonds that hold communities together to the complexities of cultural identity.
Some Forms of Togetherness, curated by artist JJ Chan, is a deeply reflective exhibition focused on human connection. Through sculpture, sound, and text, the show considers what it means to care for others and build resilient communities. The works on display are collaborative and participatory in nature, shaped by conversations and contributions from local voices. The exhibition creates a space that feels intimate yet open, inviting viewers to consider the emotional labour of togetherness and the quiet strength found in solidarity.
Mekle Lippis by Josie KO. Quench Gallery. Image credit MTotoe.
Mekle Lippis is a bold and theatrical exhibition by Josie KO that interrogates cultural identity, power, and visibility through a maximalist lens. The show is loud, unapologetic, and deliberately excessive, using vibrant colours, extravagant sculptures, and visual satire to challenge how identity is constructed and performed. Inspired by Caribbean carnival, beauty pageants, and spectacle, KO explores how Blackness, femininity, and heritage are represented and misunderstood in dominant culture. The fictional alter ego, Mekle Lippis, embodies both resistance and celebration, confronting societal expectations with humour, glamour, and defiance.
Date: until 25 May 2025. Location: Quench Gallery, 77 High Street, Cliftonville, Margate CT9 1DX. quenchgallery.co.uk
Anna Boghiguian: The Sunken Boat: A glimpse into past histories
Anna Boghiguia, The Square, the Line and the Ruler. Ambiguous Philosophers - Ambiguous Politicians. Installation view, Anna Boghiguian, mumok, Vienna, 2021
#FLODown: The Sunken Boat: A glimpse into past histories is a free exhibition by Egyptian-Canadian artist Anna Boghiguian at Turner Contemporary, Margate, opening in June 2025. The exhibition features a site-specific installation inspired by the coastal history of the area and the story of a sunken slave ship. Using a combination of painting, sculpture, collage, and sound, Boghiguian explores themes such as colonialism, trade, migration, and climate change, while reflecting on the enduring influence of the sea on global history and contemporary issues. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum.
Dates: 14 June – 26 October 2025. Location: Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. turnercontemporary.org
Pie Factory Margate
Pie Factory Margate.
#FLODown: This May and June, Pie Factory Margate hosts a rich line-up of exhibitions showcasing a wide range of creative practices—from collective retrospectives to reflective solo shows:
SEAS @ Twenty (2–11 May 2025): Marking 20 years of South East Artists, this group exhibition features over 60 artists working across various mediums.
Art4All: Proud 2 Create Exhibition & Open Studio (22 May – 2 June 2025): A community-focused open studio and exhibition celebrating diverse voices and creative expression.
Nagual Creations: Blacklight to Daylight – A Retrospective (5–10 June 2025): A retrospective showcasing the evolution of Nagual Creations’ work, moving from blacklight to daylight themes.
Botanical Art – Weaving Untold Stories of Heritage (12–16 June 2025): An exhibition exploring cultural memory and heritage through the lens of botanical illustration.
Location: Pie Factory Margate, 5 Broad Street, Margate CT9 1EW. Price: Free. Full programme and updates available at piefactorymargate.co.uk
Cassi Namoda: What are you doing by my sea?
What are you doing by my sea? by Cassi Namoda. Turner Contemporary. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: Mozambican-American artist Cassi Namoda presents her first European institutional project, What are you doing by my sea?, at Turner Contemporary’s Sunley Gallery in Margate. This site-specific installation transforms the gallery’s expansive windows into a cinematic tableau, drawing inspiration from the 1992 Senegalese film Hyenas, Mozambican folklore, J.M.W. Turner’s seascapes, and stained glass traditions. Namoda’s work reflects on the emotional resonance of coastal life and the complexities of return, as light and colour shift throughout the day, echoing the movement of sea and story. This commission marks the inaugural project of Turner Contemporary’s new annual Sunley Gallery programme, inviting artists to engage with the gallery’s distinctive architecture and coastal setting.
Date: 2 May – 21 September 2025. Location: Sunley Gallery, Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. Price: Free. turnercontemporary.org
Turner 250: Breaking Waves
Waves Breaking on a Lee Shore at Margate (Study for ‘Rockets and Blue Lights’) c.1840, Joseph Mallord William Turner. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: In celebration of J.M.W. Turner’s 250th birthday, Turner Contemporary will display Waves Breaking on a Lee Shore at Margate (Study for Rockets and Blue Lights). The rarely seen oil sketch returns to Margate, where Turner once found endless inspiration in the sea and skies. It is a tribute to both the artist and the coastline that shaped his vision.
Dates: 8 April 2025 – April 2026. Location: Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. Price: Free. turnercontemporary.org
Turner Contemporary commissions
Antony Gormley: Another Time
Another Time by Antony Gormley. Image credit Turner Contemporary.
#FLODown: Antony Gormley’s Another Time is a powerful and contemplative sculpture situated on Fulsam Rock, just offshore from Turner Contemporary in Margate. Part of a series of 100 identical cast-iron figures modelled on the artist’s own body, the Margate figure interacts with the natural rhythm of the tides—emerging three hours before low tide and disappearing beneath the waves shortly after. Commissioned by the gallery and installed in 2017, it will remain in place until November 2030.
Date: Ongoing. Location: Turner Contemporary, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. Price: Free. turnercontemporary.org
Yinka Ilori: Slices of Peace
Slices of Peace by Yinka Ilori. Image credit Turner Contemporary.
#FLODown: Slices of Peace by Yinka Ilori is a vibrant public artwork installed in Orchard Park, Kings Hill, in April 2024. Inspired by Kent’s apple-growing heritage, it features three colourful apple sculptures made from laser-cut, powder-coated steel, representing the fruit’s life cycle. A soundscape by Peter Adjaye, developed through community choral workshops, accompanies the installation. The project, curated by Turner Contemporary, emerged from Ilori’s 2021 residency involving local residents and students from the University for the Creative Arts.
Date: Ongoing. Location: Orchard Park, Kings Hill, near West Malling, Kent. Price: Free. turnercontemporary.org
Tracey Emin: I Never Stopped Loving You
I Never Stopped Loving You, Tracey Emin. Image credit Turner Contemporary.
#FLODown: I Never Stopped Loving You is a pink neon artwork by Tracey Emin, installed in 2010 on the façade of Droit House on Margate’s seafront. Commissioned by Turner Contemporary and Thanet District Council, it reflects Emin’s personal connection to the town where she grew up. The installation marked the final year before the opening of the Turner Contemporary gallery, contributing to the town’s cultural regeneration.
Date: Ongoing. Location: Harbour Arm, Margate CT9 1AP. Price: Free. turnercontemporary
