Art Itineraries

Be there the week the art is.

The biennials, fairs, and museum shows worth crossing the world for, with the dates to plan around so you book before the rooms fill. Dakar to Venice, Lagos to New York.

Africa Peterson Kamwathi: Tabula Rasa 25 Apr 2026 to 23 Aug 2026 Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) · Nairobi, Kenya A museum-grade solo at Michael Armitage’s nonprofit kunsthalle, the most ambitious contemporary space in East Africa.
Europe Biennale Arte 2026: In Minor Keys 9 May 2026 to 22 Nov 2026 La Biennale di Venezia · Venice, Italy The art world’s flagship: 99 national pavilions and the late Koyo Kouoh’s main show across the Giardini and Arsenale.
Europe Frida: The Making of an Icon 25 Jun 2026 to 4 Jan 2027 Tate Modern · London, United Kingdom Tate Modern’s blockbuster on how Frida Kahlo became a modern icon.
Africa Noir Fashion Week 6 Aug 2026 to 9 Aug 2026 Noir Fashion Week · Nairobi, Kenya Four days treating African textiles, ritual and material intelligence as the root of a new luxury narrative.
Africa Bayimba International Festival of the Arts 9 Aug 2026 to 13 Aug 2026 Bayimba Foundation, Lunkulu Island · Lunkulu Island, Uganda Uganda’s premier multi-arts festival on a Lake Victoria island of music, theatre, and visual art.
Africa FNB Art Joburg 2026 4 Sep 2026 to 6 Sep 2026 Sandton Convention Centre · Johannesburg, South Africa Africa’s longest-running contemporary fair and the centre of Joburg’s September art weekend.
Asia/Middle East 16th Gwangju Biennale: You Must Change Your Life 5 Sep 2026 to 15 Nov 2026 Gwangju Biennale Foundation · Gwangju, South Korea Asia’s leading biennial, a deliberately tight 45-artist edition curated by Ho Tzu Nyen.
Africa · dates to confirm East Africa Art Biennale (EASTAFAB) 2026 15 Sep 2026 to 20 Nov 2026 GoDown, Nairobi Gallery, Kuona and Circle Art, with regional satellites · Nairobi, Kenya The region’s roaming biennale, hosted in Nairobi for its 11th edition, gathering 120+ artists from across East Africa.
Africa Macondo Literary Festival 18 Sep 2026 to 20 Sep 2026 Macondo Literary Festival · Nairobi, Kenya A warm gathering of global African writers and readers, returning under the title Ink, Sea, Silence.
Africa Zeitz MOCAA: 2026–27 Season New season opens 1 October 2026 Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa · Cape Town, South Africa Africa’s flagship contemporary museum in the Silo District, opening newly commissioned films by Mati Diop, Wanuri Kahiu, Jim Chuchu and more.
Europe The 90s 1 Oct 2026 to 14 Feb 2027 Tate Britain, guest-curated by Edward Enninful · London, United Kingdom A landmark survey of the decade that reshaped British art, fashion and photography.
Americas Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous 4 Oct 2026 to 31 Jan 2027 The Metropolitan Museum of Art · New York, United States The first major New York show in two decades on Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock, 120+ works in parallel.
Europe Frieze London & Frieze Masters 2026 14 Oct 2026 to 18 Oct 2026 The Regent’s Park · London, United Kingdom London’s defining art week: two tented fairs plus Frieze Sculpture and Mayfair openings.
Europe Art Basel Paris 2026 23 Oct 2026 to 25 Oct 2026 Grand Palais · Paris, France Art Basel’s Paris edition in the restored Grand Palais, the hub of Paris Art Week.
Africa Nairobi Arts Biennale 2026 24 Oct 2026 to 8 Nov 2026 House of Friends, HOF Gallery Kibera and city-wide · Nairobi, Kenya A new city-wide biennale, Our Art and Future, rooting the contemporary conversation in Kibera and beyond.
Asia/Middle East Bangkok Art Biennale 2026: Angels and Mara 29 Oct 2026 to 28 Feb 2027 Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation · Bangkok, Thailand Contemporary art staged inside Bangkok’s temples and across the city, turning the whole capital into a venue.
Africa ART X Lagos 2026 5 Nov 2026 to 8 Nov 2026 ART X Collective · Lagos, Nigeria West Africa’s premier fair and the anchor of Lagos Art Week, drawing galleries from across Africa and its diaspora.
Africa 16th Dak’Art: (Anti)fragilité 19 Nov 2026 to 19 Dec 2026 Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain · Dakar, Senegal The continent’s most important pan-African biennial, with a sprawling OFF programme across the city.
Asia/Middle East Sharjah Biennial 17: What Remains, Sits Restive 21 Jan 2027 to 13 Jun 2027 Sharjah Art Foundation · Sharjah, United Arab Emirates One of the Gulf’s most ambitious biennials, spread across heritage venues and former industrial sites. Worth planning ahead for.
Africa · dates to confirm Forever Is Now (6th edition) November 2026 (dates to be confirmed) Art D’Égypte, at the Pyramids of Giza · Giza, Egypt Monumental contemporary installations set against the Great Pyramids, one of the most photographed art events on earth.
Africa Circle Art Gallery Year-round, a new show roughly every 4 to 6 weeks Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square, Lavington · Nairobi, Kenya East Africa’s leading commercial gallery for the region’s modern and contemporary artists, worth checking on every visit.
Africa · dates to confirm Art Auction East Africa Annual, historically around November Circle Art Gallery · Nairobi, Kenya The region’s flagship modern and contemporary art auction, the main public price-setting event for East African art.
Africa · dates to confirm One Off Contemporary Art Gallery Year-round, regular rotating shows Rosslyn Lone Tree Estate Road, Rosslyn · Nairobi, Kenya Carole Kinyua’s established garden gallery represents some of the biggest names in East African art.
Africa · dates to confirm Red Hill Art Gallery Around six exhibitions a year Red Hill Art Gallery, Limuru · Limuru, Kenya A hilltop gallery outside Nairobi pairing a 25-year private collection with focused shows of contemporary East African artists.
Africa · dates to confirm Polka Dot Art Gallery Year-round exhibitions, classes and workshops Souk Shops, Karen · Nairobi, Kenya Lara Ray’s Karen gallery shows local and international artists and runs an active workshop programme.
Africa · dates to confirm Shifteye Studios Year-round photography exhibitions and events Priory Place, Hurlingham · Nairobi, Kenya A design-led venue centred on photography, spotlighting Kenya’s lens-based artists.
Africa · dates to confirm Kuona Artists Collective Year-round working studios and open-studio days Dennis Pritt Road, Likoni Lane · Nairobi, Kenya A historic incubator reborn as a collective where studios double as exhibition space, so you can watch the work being made.
Africa · dates to confirm Brush Tu Art Studio Year-round collective studio with shows and residencies Buruburu · Nairobi, Kenya An artist-run Buruburu collective, an energetic engine of experimentation and a key grassroots studio.
Africa · dates to confirm GoDown Arts Centre Year-round exhibitions, performances and open days Dunga Road, Industrial Area · Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi’s veteran multidisciplinary arts hub, a dependable entry point into the city’s working-artist scene.
Africa · dates to confirm Manjano Visual Arts Exhibition Annual juried competition, running since 2009 GoDown Arts Centre and Village Market · Nairobi, Kenya An annual competition on the theme of Nairobi, a reliable barometer of emerging Kenyan talent.
Africa · dates to confirm Nairobi Design Week Annual, usually March Multiple venues across the city · Nairobi, Kenya A city-wide festival at the meeting point of design, art and innovation, showcasing Kenyan creative practice.
Africa · dates to confirm Rangi za East street-art festival Annual graffiti and street-art gathering BSQ Crew, Nairobi neighbourhoods · Nairobi, Kenya A graffiti jam by Nairobi’s pioneering BSQ crew, turning city walls into a platform for the next generation.
Africa · dates to confirm Nafasi Art Space Year-round exhibitions, fairs, concerts and the Nafasi Academy Nafasi Art Space, Mikocheni · Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tanzania’s leading contemporary art centre, anchoring Dar es Salaam’s visual and performing arts scene.
Africa · dates to confirm Kampala Art Biennale Biennial, next edition dates to confirm Multiple Kampala venues · Kampala, Uganda A pan-African biennale that provokes debate about African art’s place in the world, a cornerstone of Uganda’s scene.
Africa · dates to confirm Inema Arts Center Year-round studios, exhibitions and concerts Inema Arts Center, Kacyiru · Kigali, Rwanda Founded by six painter brothers, Kigali’s best-known artist-led centre with a lively public calendar.
Africa · dates to confirm Addis Fine Art Year-round rotating exhibitions Addis Fine Art gallery · Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ethiopia’s first white-cube gallery, spotlighting talent from the Horn of Africa and its diasporas.
Africa · dates to confirm Investec Cape Town Art Fair Annual, usually February Cape Town International Convention Centre · Cape Town, South Africa Africa’s largest contemporary art fair, the anchor of Cape Town’s summer art week.
Africa · dates to confirm 1-54 Marrakech Annual, usually early February La Mamounia · Marrakech, Morocco The Marrakech leg of the world’s leading contemporary African art fair, set in a landmark hotel.
Africa · dates to confirm Kalasha International Film and TV Festival Usually late April Kenya Film Commission · Nairobi, Kenya Kenya’s biggest film and TV gathering, where the industry trades, screens, and crowns its best.
Africa · dates to confirm Zanzibar International Film Festival Usually late June ZIFF · Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania East Africa’s flagship film festival lighting up the historic alleys of Stone Town each June.
Africa · dates to confirm Slum Film Festival Annual since 2010 Slum Film Festival · Nairobi, Kenya Africa’s first festival dedicated to stories from and about informal settlements, made by their own filmmakers.
Africa · dates to confirm Lake International PanAfrican Film Festival Usually the last quarter of the year Legacy Arts and Film Lab · Nakuru, Kenya A roving PanAfrican film festival that always pitches up beside one of Kenya’s lakes.
Africa · dates to confirm Asian Literary Festival, Africa edition Usually May Asian Literary Festival · Nairobi, Kenya The festival’s first African edition, weaving Asian and African literary worlds together in Nairobi.
Africa · dates to confirm Kistrech International Poetry Festival Usually September Kistrech Theatre International · Kisii, Kenya Local and international poets meet for spoken word, mashairi, and oral poetry in western Kenya.
Africa · dates to confirm Nairobi Fashion Week Usually January Nairobi Fashion Week · Nairobi, Kenya Runway built on slow, circular, and climate-conscious design from Kenyan and international designers.
Africa · dates to confirm Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week Usually late April ASFW Nairobi · Nairobi, Kenya A trade-focused fashion and textile sourcing week connecting African makers with global buyers.
Africa · dates to confirm Koroga Festival Twice yearly, around July and December Koroga Festival, Tatu City · Nairobi, Kenya Kenya’s flagship picnic concert blending African music, food, art, and an open-boutique market.
Africa · dates to confirm Thrift Social Nairobi Recurring editions through the year Thrift Social Nairobi · Nairobi, Kenya A buzzing art, music, and thrift-fashion street party powering Nairobi’s young creative scene.
Africa · dates to confirm Maralal International Camel Derby August to September Samburu County · Maralal, Kenya Camel races, artisan markets, and Samburu cultural performances across the semi-arid north.
Africa · dates to confirm Tobong’u Lore, Turkana Cultural Festival Usually December Turkana County Government · Lodwar, Kenya A welcome-back-home homecoming of the Ateker peoples through song, rites, dance, and peace forums.
Africa · dates to confirm Lamu Painters Festival Usually late in the year Lamu Painters Festival · Lamu, Kenya Over 40 European and African painters live and paint across Lamu, closing with an open art weekend at the fort.
Africa · dates to confirm Banana Hill Art Gallery Year-round rotating exhibitions Banana Hill Art Gallery · Nairobi, Kenya One of Nairobi’s longest-running contemporary African galleries, showing leading regional painters.
Africa · dates to confirm DOADOA, East African Performing Arts Market Usually May Bayimba Foundation, Uganda Museum · Kampala, Uganda The region’s performing-arts marketplace where East African artists, bookers, and festivals do business.
Africa · dates to confirm Karibu Music Festival Mid to late year Karibu Music Festival · Moshi, Tanzania A lakeside celebration of live Tanzanian and East African music over three days.

Dates are verified against each event’s own source before listing. Routes around the strongest of these, what to see, who to meet, where the art actually is, follow next.