Your guide to global cultural destinations for spring 2023

Our S/S Culture Guide highlights must-see events coming up around the world, from exhibitions exploring social and political matters to the standout shows for design inspiration. 

David Hockney goes immersive in London

London’s Lightroom prioritises interaction and immersion at David Hockney’s Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) installation, which transports the viewer into the artist’s work from over the last 60 years.

Saatchi Gallery’s blockbuster exhibition Beyond the streets London will present the most comprehensive graffiti and street art showcase to ever open in the UK, while the V&A’s DIVA explores iconic performers and trailblazers that redefined this role over the ages across opera, stage, popular music and film.

In Cape Town, Zeitz MOCAA’s latest opening, When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, celebrates Black artists and subjectives from pan-African and diasporic perspectives. The exhibition is a culmination of paintings from the past 100 years and should be studied for the unique use of colour and techniques.

Yayoi Kusama retrospective in Hong Kong

The APAC region focuses on sensorial experiences and looking back at the roots of culture with a new lens. Visit M+ in Hong Kong for a Yayoi Kusama retrospective and groundbreaking artwork by Beeple, or head to South Korea for the 14th Gwangju Biennale.

After 10 years in the making, the Art Gallery of New South Wales has finally opened the doors of its new gallery, the Sydney Modern Project. It aims to bring together art, architecture and landscape in spectacular new ways, putting indigenous culture at the forefront.

Expect to see many international influences from coast-to-coast in North America, from a Japanese kimono exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the Scandinavian design exhibit at LACMA in Los Angeles. Unearth Amazonian Diversities in Brazil, which incorporates technology, science and traditional knowledge from various Amazonian territories.

When visiting The Big Apple, Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition at MoMA will spark inspiration, with almost 200 pieces from the globally renowned Swiss artist best known for her fur-lined teacup. 

Women and design in Mexico

Dive into the design of four generations of women in Mexico at Museo Franz Mayer in Mexico City. Diseño en femenino. México 1940-2022 features the work of 110 designers such as Isabel Moncada, Julia y Renata and Carla Fernández, with more than 335 objects from 15 states.

If you’re a WGSN subscriber, get inspired by our Culture Guide: Spring 2023. Live now on the site.