The British Art Show 10, titled A Chorus of Strangers, will open in Coventry on 2 October as the starting point of its UK tour. The Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition will be displayed across three venues: Warwick Arts Centre's Mead Gallery, Coventry University and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.
The show features work by 37 artists, curated by cultural commentator and writer Ekow Eshun. Exhibited artists include Turner Prize winner Nnena Kalu, who in 2025 became the first artist with a learning disability to win the prize.
Kalu's work and artistic practice
Kalu is autistic and creates work using graphite, pen, oil sticks and chalk in repetitive spirals on large-scale paper. She also produces what are described as "boulders" of multi-coloured fabric, exploring the relationship between her own body, physical movement and her sculptural works.
Local response and access focus
Kyla Craig, creative director at Art Riot Collective in Coventry, said the decision to start BAS 10 in the city represented an important moment for the West Midlands' art scene. "There isn't anything in Coventry which supports artists to explore visual arts," Craig said.
Art Riot Collective is staging a fringe show alongside BAS 10 as part of the Coventry Art Forum. Craig highlighted the importance of access within the project, stating that the collective and local venues have been challenged to examine what access really means for audiences who would not normally be able to attend such exhibitions because of disability.
Sarah Shalgowsky, principal curator at Warwick Arts Centre, described the event as "the biggest touring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK".
Brian Cass, head of the tour, said Coventry's history of assembly and reinvention made it a natural place to launch the show, which reflects its curatorial themes.
