You saw them here first. This summer, we spotlight the exciting new talent emerging from the UK’s leading art schools. Graduate shows are where major careers begin, offering an early glimpse of the artists and makers set to shape the future of contemporary visual culture. They also demonstrate the importance of arts education, demonstrating how creativity influences every aspect of the world around us. Discover how the class of 2026 is responding to the defining issues of our time across a wide range of disciplines.
Arts University Plymouth: Graduate Shows 2026 | 21 May – 30 July
In Plymouth, this season is dedicated to propelling the designers and makers of tomorrow into the creative industries. The university, which encourages students to think of themselves as professionals from their first day on campus, presents the culmination of its Foundation Diploma (21-22 May), Extended Diploma (2-3 June), Undergraduate (18-25 June) and Postgraduate courses (20-30 July). Featured artists include Abi Ingham (above), from the Extended Diploma Film Making and Media Production course, who brings a neon-inflected vintage aesthetic. There’s also graphic design from Meredith King, with a fresh take on Agustina Bazterrica’s novel Tender is the Flesh; thought-provoking portrait photography from Dominic Thomas; and sculpture by Ant Hill. From art and design to digital media and traditional making, AUP’s exhibitions prove higher education to be “a catalyst for personal, professional and cultural transformation.”
Sheffield Hallam University: Future Now 2026 – Festival of Creativity | Until 31 July
Artists. Architects. Animators. Designers. Filmmakers. Performers. Writers. Sheffield Hallam University’s graduating students are presenting “creative proposals to real problems” at the Festival of Creativity, across the city centre, at the D&AD New Blood Festival, New Designers and Graduate Fashion Week in London and online. From fashion to video games, they are offering responses to contemporary challenges, including increasing pressures on the built environment and the need for sustainable product design. “Our creatives propose new brands and services, launch new enterprises and help us glimpse alternative futures. Most of all, they tell stories, documenting the world as they find it and how they’d like it to be.” Its Photography show includes Josh Harris (above left), whose cinematic portraits of “non-places” are made between Sheffield and Birmingham, whilst Jessica Wood (above right) turns the gaze skywards.
York St John University: Degree Show 2026 | 4-10 June
York St John University describes its 2026 Degree Show as “a collage of contemporary practice … made up of many small parts, bit and pieces, stuff and things.” It showcases more than 150 pieces from illustrators, photographers and fine artists across its York campus, all taking the idea of assemblage – how things can be taken apart and put back together – as their connecting thread. “Collage is the significant art form of this century,” the university explains. “It is vital in understanding how meaning is made in art … and in thinking about sustainability, or connection.” Millie Bucknall is amongst the featured names, showcasing portraits that incorporate the Japanese art of kintsugi – repairing broken ceramics with gold. The exhibition’s opening night, on Thursday 4 June, is marked by Reignite XV: Liftoff, an event that platforms the next generation of creatives alongside talks from high-profile artists such as Turner Prize nominee Heather Philipson, Larry Achiampong, Steve Messam, Joanne Coates and Baff Akoto.
Find out more » | Book your free ticket to Reignite XV »
UWE Bristol: Showcase 2026 | 5-10 June
UWE Bristol’s Showcase 2026 is a highlight of the year for both the university and the wider city, inviting audiences to engage with a new generation of talent. The programme combines exhibitions at various locations – Bower Ashton, Arnolfini, Spike Island and Frenchay Campus – alongside an expansive digital Showcase. Featured above is an example of the standout work on view: a collaboration between illustrator Izzi Binding and photographer Molly Taylor. Binding created oversized props for this shoot, including a huge plug socket, chair and paper-doll style dresses. Taylor is inspired by fairytales, noir cinema and absurdist theatre, “weaving together elements of 1960s surrealism and the asymmetry of dream logic … creating worlds that feel both familiar and unsettling.” Beyond image-making, Showcase 2026 foregrounds a wide-range of subjects, from architecture and product design to fashion, performance and writing.
Bath Spa University: Undergraduate Degree Show 2026 | 6-13 June
Next month, Bath Spa University opens its doors for the Undergraduate Degree Show. It welcomes visitors to its RIBA award-winning Locksbrook campus, a former Herman Miller factory celebrating 50 years in 2026. The free-to-attend exhibition is at the centre of the university’s growing programme of community engagement events, short courses and creative projects. For many graduates, this is the first time they are exhibiting to the public, whilst for others it’s a stepping stone to career progression opportunities, or to setting up studios and businesses. Courses include: Architecture, Creative Arts Practice, Fashion Design, Fashion Photography, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design and Textile Design. Shown above is Filiz Moore’s Fashion Photography series Fruit Punch, part of the 2025 Show. It finds inspiration in the everyday, “taking something as simple as fruit, and transforming it into a muse.”
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
Image Credits:
1. Millie Bucknall, Scar 4. York St John University Art, Illustration & Photography Degree Show Exhibition.
2. Josh Harris, Sheffield Hallam University.
3. Jessica Wood, Sheffield Hallam University.
4. Abi Ingham, Arts University Plymouth.
5. Izzi Binding & Molly Taylor, BA(Hons) Illustration & BA(Hons) Photography, Pride of Britain.
6. Izzi Binding & Molly Taylor, BA(Hons) Illustration & BA(Hons) Photography, Jacinthe des Boi.
7. Filiz Moore, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography, Fruit Punch (2025), Bath Spa University.
8. Millie Bucknall, Scar 4. York St John University Art, Illustration & Photography Degree Show Exhibition.
