Art exhibitions around the globe this April are offering immersive, thought-provoking journeys into identity, memory, history, and imagination. From Southeast Asia to Europe to the United States, these seven standout shows highlight the power of contemporary art to challenge norms and connect cultures. Whether it’s Yoko Ono’s interactive legacy in Berlin, Central Asia’s creative revival in Almaty, or emerging Thai voices in Bangkok, each exhibition is a vibrant expression of the world’s most urgent and intimate stories. Catch them while you still can—before the month fades away.
Kate Gottgens: Darkening Dusk
Maruani Mercier, Knokke-Heist, Belgium
April 12 – May 25, 2025
In her debut solo show at Maruani Mercier, South African painter Kate Gottgens invites viewers into hauntingly nostalgic landscapes where memory blurs with imagination. Drawing from vintage snapshots, flea market finds, and the digital archive, her dreamlike scenes are drenched in emotion and ambiguity. Darkening Dusk explores the vulnerability of reimagined pasts through brushwork that is both intimate and enigmatic.
For more, click here
Group Show: The Plantation Plot
ILHAM Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
April 20 – September 21, 2025
This groundbreaking exhibition dives into the complex global legacy of the plantation system. Curated by Sheau Yun Lim and inspired by the writings of Sylvia Wynter, The Plantation Plot features works by 27 acclaimed artists and collectives. From Southeast Asia to the Caribbean, the show challenges colonial histories, reclaims narratives, and reframes the plantation as a site of both memory and resistance
For more, click here
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
Gropius Bau, Berlin, Germany
April 11 – August 31, 2025
Visionary artist and activist Yoko Ono brings over 200 works to Berlin in a retrospective that spans her radical, participatory approach to conceptual art. Music of the Mind invites the audience to co-create meaning through instructions, installations, and performance-based pieces. Ono’s enduring messages of peace, imagination, and collective hope resonate powerfully in today’s fractured world.
For more, click here
Ed Atkins: Darkening Dusk
Tate Britain, London, UK
April 2 – August 25, 2025
Multimedia artist Ed Atkins presents his largest UK survey yet, offering a deeply personal and poetic look at digital identity and emotional complexity. Centered around a touching archive of post-it note drawings for his children, Darkening Dusk unfolds through video, writing, and hyper-realistic sketches, questioning what’s real, what’s felt, and what gets lost in translation.
For more, click here
Group Show: Imagination of Central Asia on the Map of Contemporary Art
Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture, Almaty, Kazakhstan
April 25 – September 3, 2025
Curated by Asel Rashidova, this pivotal exhibition revisits the birth of contemporary art in Central Asia through archival material and newly rediscovered works. Focused on the creative boom post-independence, the exhibition is part archive, part live laboratory—highlighting the innovative spirit that redefined the region’s artistic identity while opening dialogue with global contemporary practice.
For more, click here
Be Your Own Island
Early Years Project, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Thailand
Until June 29, 2025
10 AM – 8 PM daily
Featuring eight emerging Thai artists, this refreshingly introspective group show transforms individual gallery spaces into expressive micro-worlds. Be Your Own Island is an open invitation to explore personal identity, cultural shifts, and social commentary—each installation offering a unique lens on modern life. A must-visit for anyone curious about Southeast Asia’s next-gen talents.
For more, click here
Veronica Ryan: Unruly Objects
Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis, USA
March 7 – July 27, 2025
Turner Prize-winning sculptor Veronica Ryan brings quiet power to the Pulitzer in her first-ever U.S. survey. With over 100 works dating back to the 1980s, Ryan elevates everyday materials—fruit, seeds, netting—into deeply meditative forms. Her sculptures speak softly but profoundly about memory, migration, and resilience. This long-overdue retrospective redefines what it means to create monumental art from modest means.
For more, click here
To see the best art exhibitions around the world in 2025, visit here.
Don’t forget to subscribe to WhatsOn Guide for all the latest updates on art exhibitions worldwide.
