Turner Prize 2025: K-art, William Kentridge and Exciting Art 2026

The Turner Prize 2025 is shaping up to be the most exciting in years, while K-art takes over the British Museum and William Kentridge premieres a new animated film. This week in art offers a rare convergence of bold contemporary voices and deep historical surveys.

Turner Prize 2025: A Waste Land of Rodinesque Ghosts

At MIMA in Middlesbrough, from 26 September until 29 March, the Turner Prize returns with a shortlist that feels genuinely unpredictable. Kira Freije creates a waste land peopled by Rodinesque ghosts in the machine, blending industrial debris with classical form. Simeon Barclay meditates on masculinity with wit and unease, while Tanoa Sasraku takes on big oil in a visceral critique of extraction and power. Marguerite Humeau gets lost in wonderland, conjuring speculative futures that feel both alien and intimate.

This is not a polite survey. It is a prize that rewards risk, and the result is the most exciting Turner Prize in years.

K-art at the British Museum: 2,000 Years of Belief

Also showing, K-art arrives at the British Museum in London from 1 October until 31 January. A survey of 2,000 years of Korean art, belief and philosophy, it asks whether it can be as big as Bayeux. The answer, judging by the scope, is yes. From Buddhist sculpture to contemporary ceramics, the exhibition traces how Korean artists have negotiated spirituality, politics and identity across millennia.

Why K-art Matters Now

The global appetite for Korean culture has never been higher, and this show grounds that enthusiasm in historical depth. It is not just K-pop or K-drama; it is K-art as a continuous, evolving tradition.

William Kentridge: A Nicely Built City

At Goodman Gallery in London until 7 November, William Kentridge premieres A Nicely Built City, a new animated film that takes drawing into new dimensions. Kentridge remains one of the few artists who can make charcoal feel like cinema, and this world premiere is a reminder of his restless inventiveness.

Other Must-See Shows This Week

• Fail We May, Sail We Must at Brown Collection, London, until 7 August: Salvador Dalí to George Romney, curated from Glenn Brown's eclectic collection.
• Mark Wallinger: Circling the Square at Paul Stolper Gallery, London, until 24 October: abstraction and nature with a nod to Dylan Thomas.
• Image of the week: Goons in military fatigues and wraparound shades ride a clown car, a clear comment on contemporary US, while a solitary figure at Stonehenge is overwhelmed by the universe.

Comparison Table: What to See and Where

Key Takeaways

• The Turner Prize 2025 shortlist is unusually strong and politically charged.
• K-art at the British Museum offers historical depth behind the Korean cultural wave.
• William Kentridge continues to redefine animation and drawing.
• London remains the epicentre for eclectic collection shows this season.

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