10 Must-See UK Art Exhibitions in August (That Aren’t in London)
Well, we didn’t win the football, so the spirit of camaraderie and hope that was just about making London bearable has truly petered out. It was nice while it lasted; it’s one of the best things about Christmas, too, that it suddenly becomes socially acceptable to speak to strangers and - god forbid - even smile at each other. So, now seems the perfect time to pack your bags and head out to the parts of Britain where friendliness is actually standard. I’ve got you covered for must-see exhibitions outside of London this August, from wooden clogs and gay erotica to chaise lounges and suggestive lobsters, stretching from Winchester to Dumfries.
The Arc, Hampshire - Scottish Colourists: Radical Perspectives - until 16 September
The Scottish Colourists were a set of four Scottish (duh) painters working in the early 20th century who were grouped together in the 1950s thanks to their shared interest in Fauvist and Impressionist art happening across the North Sea in France. As well as work by the Colourists themselves, Winchester’s Arc have also brought together art by influential contemporaries of the group, including Lucien Pissarro, Walter Sickert, and André Derain, to highlight the role the Colourists played in a generation of artists that totally transformed modern art. This show is beautiful, and I spent a lot of time getting up close to the paintings and wondering whether Sickert was literally pouring grit into his paint.
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, Northamptonshire - I Grew Up 80s - until 10 October
Born in the 90s? Had a childhood marked by a “war on terror”, an adolescence shadowed by financial collapse, and a university education disrupted by a global pandemic, only to graduate into an economy with the least opportunity for social mobility since before the Second World War? Ever dreamed of being born in the 80s, when you could enjoy your Opal Fruits in peace before heading out to play unsupervised in the street without a 24-hour newscycle reminding you of the dangers of being kidnapped and unknown diseases halfway across the world? Of course you have! And now everyone can revel in the decade of the Rubik’s Cube, disposable cameras, and nicotine patches with ‘I Grew Up 80s’ at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, with over 200 objects on display from the best decade of Madonna’s career. The exhibition is a perfect escape for those born after 1990, and an opportunity for those from the 80s to point at things and say “we had one of those!” or “I remember when it was fine to smoke in an enclosed space with your infant".
Lightbox Gallery, Surrey - Philip Colbert: The Lost Gardens of Lobsteropolis - until 01 November
On the face of things, Philip Colbert’s lobsters can feel like a bit of a Pop Art cash grab - it does look a bit Kaws-y. After all, he’s been described as the “Godson of Warhol”, and what was Warhol if not after fame and a bit of wonga? But actually, much to my delight, Colbert’s lobster alter ego has been intentionally crafted to link him back to hundreds of years of art history. Lobsters have represented all sorts throughout history - part of an ancient “death triangle” in antiquity, power and wealth in the Dutch Golden Age, something vaguely sexy and gluttonous to the Surrealists, and it was his fascination with this symbolism which drew Colbert to his go-to crustacean. Visitors to the Lightbox are invited to explore the universe - Lobsteropolis - that Colbert has constructed for his decapod hero.
Ever thought, “I’d love to see a comprehensive display of the last century of fashion, but I have had it up to here with full-sized mannequins!”? Well, have I got the exhibition for you! ‘1000 Years of Fashion History - An Exhibition in Miniature’ by costume creator Lisa Jayne Smith is a joyous parade of outfits from Saxon robes to heavily-pierced punks, each displayed on a non-brand-specific fashion doll. The exhibition is the culmination of Smith’s years of experience working in theatre design, and the 100+ costumes were completed while she underwent breast cancer treatment. Museums take note - people don’t want *another* JMW Turner exhibition. We want this.
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Life at Charleston Farmhouse was probably less sex-fuelled than it sounds, but the Bloomsbury Group certainly had its fair share of partner sharing and swapping, so it’s not surprising that Duncan Grant’s work got flirty from time to time. At the centre of ‘Worlds Through Desire’ are over 35 of Grant’s paintings and drawings of erotic gay scenes - often inspired by ancient Greece and Rome - made during his time at the East Sussex cottage, where he and his partner David Garnett moved during the First World War. Firstsite have also collected artworks and stories from three generations of LGBTQIA+ voices to explore how these communities have always managed to find each other, fulfil their desires, and build intimacy “across changing times and technologies”.
It’s hard to put on an exhibition about all of the crafts that used to happen in the UK without it seeming depressing - “remember when we used to make things before everything became terrible?” - but Bradford Industrial Museum’s ‘Made by Many Hands’ seems to have managed to avoid that. Celebrating Bradford’s craft traditions, the museum is also putting on workshops and events to give people a real insight into the threatened heritage crafts which have a long history in the city. With crafts ranging from lacemaking and letterpress printing to canal art and clog making, visitors to ‘Made by Many Hands’ will hopefully leave inspired to save these endangered art forms- and they’d better do it quick before AI learns how to make clogs.
Jupiter+, Dumfries - Lindsey Mendick: Growing Pains - until 06 December
Jupiter+ is the off-site wing of Edinburgh’s Jupiter Artland, bringing exceptional contemporary art to Scottish high streets, and for the second half of 2026, Dumfries are getting a visit from Lindsey Mendick. ‘Growing Pains’ explores the awkwardness of adolescence through a new site-specific body of work made up of ceramic sculptures of homes practically exploding from the pressure of giant teens bursting through their walls, stained glass, and office furniture, aptly installed in an abandoned estate agent’s office in the Loreburn Centre. Estate agents become a symbol for a “grass is always greener” attitude sold to teens, that if we only owned the right trainers or mobile phone, then life might become more bearable. The exhibition is also a win for parents as Mendick explores how, despite the fact that practically a whole generation is currently in therapy pinning all of their problems down to how they were parented, children are often just as much of a mental strain on their parents as the other way around.
I must admit that ‘The Pattern of Life ' at Compton Verney is my first introduction to Enid Marx, and safe to say I am now obsessed. A multimedia artist, distant cousin to Karl Marx, and a queer icon, Marx is best known for her work in the 1930s for the London Passenger Transport Board, where she created the funky seat fabrics designed to make the grime on the Tube less obvious and to make you feel like you could sit down without having to rush yourself straight to a GUM clinic. As well as Marx’s Tube designs, visitors to the historic Warwickshire manor will be able to enjoy other examples of her hand block-printed textiles, as well as furniture and fashion decorated in her patterns, plus works by her contemporaries. Tracing 20th-century political developments as well as the journey of Marx’s life, this show captures Marx’s dedication to celebrating “the art which ordinary people have introduced into their everyday lives”.
Okay, since when was Hyundai an art girly? I didn’t realise that Kara Walker’s epic ‘Fons Americanus’ in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2019 was actually already the fifth annual Hyundai Commission, and it’s obvious that the Seoul-based company have been reading this column because now they’re heading up the M40 with their latest art project. ‘Entangled and Woven’ brings together newly commissioned work by eight contemporary textile artists from India and Korea with historical designs from the Whitworth’s collection reaching back 400 years and celebrating the city’s - nicknamed ‘Cottonopolis’ in the 1800s - rich textile legacy. The exhibition reminds us that textiles aren’t dead, they live and breathe and move with us, and explores how these crafts are passed down through the generations.
Watts Gallery Artists Village, Surrey - The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. - until 10 January
This show couldn’t have come at a more apt time in my life, because I am currently touring a new half-stand-up, half-art history lecture show in which William Morris’ wallpaper features heavily. Listen, it’s my column, I can clumsily plug myself wherever I’d like. (Sorry, gowithYamo, I won’t do it again) (unless ticket sales are low, then I probably will)). This exhibition at Watts Gallery Artists Village, a gallery opened by and dedicated to the work of George Frederic Watts - a close friend of William Morris - is a celebration of Morris’ iconic designs, which the Morris Estate is making a killing off at the moment with a flood of commercial collaborations from lampshades with Sainsbury’s and hand creams with John Lewis. With over 30 original hand-printed wallpapers, The Art of Wallpaper captures the workmanship, philosophy, and designs that defined the Arts & Crafts era.
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