Menu

20 Years of the Aesthetica Art Prize

50 Contemporary Artists
Four North Yorkshire Galleries

The Aesthetica Art Prize is one of the UK’s leading contemporary art exhibitions, bringing artists and audiences together to experience work that is inventive, reflective and transformative. 2026 marks the Prize’s 20th anniversary, and Aesthetica Art Prize 20 reflects on two decades of support for emerging and established artists and amplifying voices that challenge assumptions and expand contemporary practice. This year, 50 artists working across immersive installation, mixed-media, painting, photography, sculpture and video present work across four galleries in North Yorkshire.

Skipton
Harrogate
Scarborough
Woodend

Future(s)
Skipton Town Hall
24 April - 27 September

How can contemporary art reveal hidden structures and amplify underrepresented narratives? This question is at the heart of Future(s), a show that considers our current moment and encourages audiences to imagine alternative paths. Joanne Coates documents rural, working-class life in North East England through photography and installation, giving voice to overlooked communities, whilst Caroline Jane Harris responds to anxieties around the decline of physical images and in the digital age.

Artists

Perception
Mercer Gallery, Harrogate
2 May - 6 September

This exhibition addresses the defining issues of our time, including the climate crisis, colonial legacies, social and political inequities, technological change and questions of identity and belonging. Bart Nelissen explores how we make sense of an increasingly digital world; Heather Agyepong’s multidisciplinary practice is concerned with mental health and wellbeing; and 2023 Prize-winner Larry Achiampong pushes the boundaries to examine class, gender and identity.

Artists

Intervention
Scarborough Art Gallery
16 May - 6 September

History, traditional and culture are given new meaning at Scarborough’s Intervention. From Baff Akoto’s rich exploration of complex ancestries of African diasporic cultural expression, to Hope Strickland’s film I’ll Be Back!, which begins and ends with the story of the rebel slave Francois Mackandal, who was burned at the stake in 1758. These artists invite audiences to see the world anew, question what we’ve been taught and broaden our understanding of personal and shared pasts.

Artists

Transformation
Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
16 May - 6 September

This show spans photography, film and installation to offer visitors an insight into the contemporary art scene. It highlights how those featured in the Aesthetica Art Prize are a benchmark for innovation, critical debate and artistic discovery. Antonia Luxem, Liz Miller Kovacs, Rebecca Reeve and Seb Agnew present works that challenge the everyday, turning the lens on our disconnected relationship with the landscape, ecological destruction, the objectification of femininity and queer identity.  

Artists

Back to top

Submit your work .

Click here