This May, the art and design world is bustling with a diverse array of captivating exhibitions across the globe. From visionary fashion displays to thought-provoking conceptual art and immersive installations, these showcases offer a rich tapestry of human creativity. Major institutions are hosting significant retrospectives and thematic projects, inviting audiences to explore the intersection of performance, design, and contemporary cultural narratives.

Global Exhibitions: A Deep Dive into May's Premier Art and Design Showcases

In May 2026, a multitude of compelling exhibitions are gracing prominent museums and galleries worldwide, presenting unique perspectives on art, fashion, and societal themes. These meticulously curated shows promise to captivate and inspire audiences with their innovative approaches and profound insights.

The Brooklyn Museum in New York, USA, will unveil "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses" from May 16th to December 6th, 2026. This North American premiere will showcase over 140 of Iris van Herpen's fantastical couture creations. Her work, blending fashion with science and technology, explores garments as extensions of the body, utilizing techniques like laser-cutting and 3D printing. This exhibition highlights the designer's sustained engagement with natural systems and her innovative material research.

Meanwhile, in London, UK, The Design Museum will host "NIGO: From Japan with Love" from May 1st to October 4th, 2026. This marks the first international museum retrospective for the influential Japanese creative director, NIGO. The exhibition traces his remarkable 30-year career, from the streets of Harajuku to global fashion prominence. Featuring over 700 artifacts, including a replica of his teenage bedroom, rare designs, and handcrafted ceramics, the show illuminates NIGO's diverse inspirations, from vintage Americana and hip-hop to traditional Japanese craftsmanship.

The Denver Art Museum in Colorado, USA, presents "Knife Fork Spoon: Everyday Tools, Extraordinary Design" from April 17th to May 17th, 2026. This exhibition offers a century-long survey of flatware, displaying approximately 150 sets dating from 1900 to 2026. It meticulously illustrates how these common utensils have mirrored shifts in design philosophy, evolving from Art Nouveau adornments to modern forms influenced by digital fabrication. The display, featuring works from the museum's collection and loans from collector Dung Ngo, traces the development of materials, manufacturing techniques, and cultural contexts through a chronological narrative.

At the New York Botanical Garden, "Flower Power" will run from May 23rd to October 18th, 2026, offering a garden-wide exploration of flowers as powerful cultural symbols. This program integrates plant installations, historical archives, and artworks from the 1960s and '70s, including contributions from Andy Warhol and new site-specific commissions. The exhibition examines the role of floral imagery in movements advocating for peace and environmental awareness, extending its reach through live performances and evening events.

Gagosian in New York, USA, is inaugurating its new ground-floor space with a "Marcel Duchamp" exhibition from April 25th to June 27th, 2026. This presentation reunites significant readymade artworks, first exhibited in the United States in 1965, within the same building. Focusing on the 1964 editions created with Arturo Schwarz, the exhibition includes iconic pieces such as 'Bicycle Wheel' and 'Fountain,' delving into Duchamp's revolutionary ideas on authorship, reproduction, and the essence of the art object. This show coincides with a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art.

Perrotin in New York, USA, showcases "Collective Hallucinations," an exhibition of new works by Nick Doyle, from April 24th to May 30th, 2026. Doyle's collection features denim-based collages and an immersive installation resembling a fictional psychic parlor. Through these creations, Doyle investigates the intricate relationship between landscape, technology, and cultural mythology, drawing inspiration from the American West and its evolving narratives of progress and decline. A central piece, 'Mirror, Mirror,' houses an AI-driven oracle named Ava, marking Doyle's first foray into artificial intelligence.

In Turin, Italy, the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea hosts "Cecilia Vicuña: El glaciar ido (The vanished glacier / Il ghiacciaio scomparso)" from April 29th to September 20th, 2026. This marks Vicuña's debut solo exhibition in an Italian museum. Her practice, deeply influenced by feminist, ecological, and decolonial perspectives, is presented through installations, poetry, and video. A newly commissioned 'quipu' — a textile recording device — will horizontally span the gallery, drawing on Andean knowledge systems while addressing the critical issue of environmental loss, particularly the disappearance of glaciers in the Valle di Susa.

MoMA PS1 in New York, USA, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the sixth edition of "Greater New York 2026," running from April 16th to August 19th, 2026. This exhibition gathers over fifty New York City-based artists, focusing on early and mid-career talents across various disciplines. Through new commissions, recent works, and performances, the show explores the forces shaping urban life, from surveillance and economic pressures to technological advancements, reflecting the complexities of contemporary New York.

In Venice, Italy, coinciding with the Venice Biennale, Negozio Olivetti presents "Hybrids. Leandro Erlich al Negozio Olivetti" from May 9th to November 22nd, 2026. Curated by Marcello Dantas, this exhibition features approximately twenty sculptures by Leandro Erlich, many of which are new works. The display emphasizes hybrid forms that intertwine natural and artificial elements. Installed within Carlo Scarpa’s historic interior, these pieces interact with the architecture, challenging perceptions by reconfiguring familiar materials and forms.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) in West Bretton, Wakefield, UK, is showcasing Nicola Turner's "Time's Scythe" from March 28th to September 27th, 2026. This ambitious site-responsive installation, crafted from raw wool and horsehair, transforms the historic Chapel. The artwork begins outside the building, flowing from the bell tower and entering through an upper window before cascading into the nave, where visitors can meander through its undulating forms. The earthy scent of the materials heightens the sensory experience, while sheep grazing in the surrounding landscape extend the artwork's conceptual boundaries beyond the chapel walls.

The Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan, hosts "Ron Mueck," a focused survey of his work, from April 29th to September 23rd, 2026. This marks Mueck's second solo exhibition in Japan. Renowned for his hyperrealistic figurative sculptures, Mueck meticulously observes the human form, capturing moments of vulnerability and introspection with an unsettling alteration of scale. The exhibition features eleven works, including 'Mass' (2016–17) and the rarely seen 'Angel' (1997), along with photographs and films by Gautier Deblonde that offer a glimpse into Mueck's artistic process.

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, presents "Sophie Calle: Something Missing?" from March 26th to June 9th, 2026. This exhibition, developed in close collaboration with the artist, brings together seven significant series spanning five decades of her work. Over 300 elements, including photographs, texts, and videos, reflect Calle's ongoing exploration of intimacy, narrative, and the porous boundary between lived experience and constructed stories. The exhibition features early works like 'The Blind' (1986) and later projects such as 'Voir la mer' (2011), inviting viewers to engage with perception, memory, and emotion.

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, will feature "Beyond the Manosphere: Masculinities Today" from April 17th to August 2nd, 2026. This exhibition examines how ideas of masculinity are formed, expressed, and challenged in contemporary culture. Beginning with the rise of online 'manosphere' communities, the show considers masculinity as both a power structure and a lived reality, addressing its complexities across public and private spheres. The presentation includes new commissions, installations, and performances by artists such as Reba Maybury, Jasmine Gregory, Sven Gex, Hamishi Farah, and SoiL Thornton, alongside a performance by Zhana Ivanova.

In Venice, Italy, the Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia hosts "Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy" from May 6th to October 19th, 2026. This groundbreaking exhibition marks the first large-scale presentation dedicated to a living female artist by the institution. Curated by Shai Baitel, the show aligns with the Venice Biennale Arte and Abramović’s 80th birthday. It integrates key performances, new works, and interactive installations with the museum’s historical collection, exploring Abramović’s enduring focus on endurance, vulnerability, and presence. Projects like 'Imponderabilia' and 'Rhythm 0' are displayed alongside 'Transitory Objects,' and 'Pietà' (with Ulay) engages in dialogue with Titian’s late painting, framing the body as a site of transformation.

The Fondazione Prada in Venice, Italy, presents "Helter Skelter: Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince" from May 9th to November 23rd, 2026. This exhibition signifies the first collaborative dialogue between these two artists. Spanning over fifty works encompassing photography, video, installation, sculpture, and painting, it also includes new creations and a zine collaboratively produced through their exchanges. Installed across the palazzo’s ground and first floors, the presentation investigates how both artists draw from and reinterpret images prevalent in American visual culture. Through juxtaposition, it traces their shared strategies of appropriation and image-making, situating their practices within broader discussions of identity, media, and cultural narratives.

Finally, LUMA Arles in Arles, France, commemorates ten years since Zaha Hadid's passing with "Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives Chapter 6: Zaha Hadid 'I Think There Should Be No End to Experimentation,'" running from May 1st, 2026, to March 31st, 2027. This exhibition revisits Hadid's architectural practice through her extensive dialogue with curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, tracing her evolution from early conceptual work to completed structures. Located in the Tower at the Parc des Ateliers, designed by Frank Gehry, the show features paintings, drawings, notebooks, archival materials, and previously unreleased interviews. It highlights her calligraphic works and their connection to her later buildings, emphasizing experimentation as a core tenet of Hadid's approach to space and form.

These exhibitions collectively demonstrate the dynamic and expansive nature of contemporary art and design. From deeply personal explorations of identity and the human body to broader societal reflections on cultural mythologies and environmental concerns, each show offers a unique lens through which to view and understand our world. The artists featured push boundaries, challenge conventions, and invite viewers to engage with art on multiple sensory and intellectual levels, making May 2026 an exceptionally rich period for cultural engagement.