Aesthetica Art Prize 20: Defining the Future of Contemporary Part II: Perception
Dates: 2 May to 6 September 2026
Aesthetica Art Prize 20: Defining the Future of Contemporary Art marks two decades of pioneering contemporary art, bringing 50 international artists to galleries across North Yorkshire: Skipton Town Hall, Mercer Art Gallery, Scarborough Art Gallery, Woodend Gallery and York Art Gallery.
Showcasing painting, photography, sculpture, video, mixed media and immersive installation, the exhibition explores urgent global themes; from the climate crisis and colonial legacies to identity, technology and social inequality.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Prize reflects on its role in launching careers, shaping discourse and amplifying new voices. These exhibitions highlight art as intervention, offering powerful, transformative encounters that challenge perception and imagine new futures for contemporary practice.
Vision and Labour: Making Comics exhibition
The art of Avery Hill Publishing
18 October 2025 to 26 April 2026
Featuring the work of: Kristyna Baczynski, Tim Bird, Katriona Chapman, Tom Humberstone, Charlot Kristensen, B.Mure, Owen D. Pomery, Claire Scully, J. Webster Sharp, Rachel Smith, Lizzy Stewart, Lucy Sullivan, Zoe Thorogood, Donya Todd, Tillie Walden, and George Wylesol.
The Mercer Art Gallery has teamed up with Avery Hill Publishing to create an exhibition showcasing some of today’s most exciting comics' creators. Created in partnership with the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival, the exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into the work of leading comic artists, and an important snapshot of the UK comics landscape over the past decade.
Avery Hill Publishing are a London-based independent publisher of comics, graphic novels and art books. Best known for being the first to publish work by breakout comic stars like Tillie Walden and Zoe Thorogood, they have gone on to develop an exciting slate of up-and-coming artists, a catalogue of diverse and compelling books, and have won numerous awards and acclaim along the way.
Avery Hill recently celebrated their tenth year as a publisher, and this exhibition offers an in-depth exploration of their work. It is an important retrospective that charts their early days publishing zines in the London small press scene, through to today’s carefully and lovingly produced high-quality graphic novels which are sold across the world.
On display will be original artwork by 16 diverse artists, shown alongside their finished books, and filmed interviews. The exhibition will give insights into the creative process of making comics, and the different working practices of each artist, ranging from meticulous ink drawings to spectacular, digitally-created imagery.
The Stories Pictures Tell exhibition
Dates: 18 October 2025 to 26 April 2026
Artists Kristyna Baczynski and Katriona Chapman have delved into Harrogate’s art collection to select an exciting mix of images that resonate with their own work as graphic novelists and comic creators.
Discover paintings with a compelling narrative, fascinating characters, and that enticing sense of ‘…what might happen next?’
Their selection ranges from story-filled Victorian paintings by W.P. Frith and Frank Holl, to the intriguing work of the acclaimed contemporary artist Caroline Walker.
Just bring your imagination!
