Global Exhibition Trends 2025: Part Two
Published 19 August 2025
Exhibitions act as global cultural barometers – capturing the zeitgeist, exposing consumers to shifting aesthetic currents, and spotlighting rising creatives and cultural values. In the second instalment of our biannual round-up, we highlight nine exhibition trends set to influence ideas, products, design and fabrication across a host of industries.
Iconic 20th Century Photography
Queer Art & Artists
Fashion: From Rococo to Radical
Indigenous Ways of Seeing
Worlds of Whimsy
Visions of America
Humanity in a Digital World
Ecologically Minded Art & Design
Next-Gen Names to Know
As more people gravitate back to analogue film, a slew of museums and galleries are showcasing leading photographers of the 20th century.
As more people gravitate back to analogue film, a slew of museums and galleries are showcasing leading photographers of the 20th century.
A wave of shows highlight art that foregrounds queer identity, and explore how that identity has shaped modern image-making across media including painting, photography and textiles.
Crowd-luring fashion exhibitions continue to dominate the calendar.
The art world’s embrace of Indigenous perspectives is on robust display.
The whimsical, often theatrical experiences and playful aesthetics seen throughout Milan Design Week 2025 are equally evident across exhibitions.
As America’s 250th anniversary approaches in 2026, US museums are celebrating both classic Americana and art that charts the country’s complex story.
Art institutions are tackling a defining question of the era: how is technology (especially artificial intelligence) changing humanity?
A crop of exhibitions explore how products, materials and architecture/urban environments can be designed in more ecologically responsible ways – and, further, actually help nature to thrive.
Early-career artists seizing the spotlight this season include American hyper-realist painter Sasha Gordon and photographer Tyler Mitchell.
Global Exhibition Trends 2025: Part Two
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