Disability Art Exhibitions: Summer round-up

There are some fantastic exhibitions to see across the UK over the summer months centring the work of Disabled Artists, or addressing Disability in a wider sense. We've put together a round-up for you.

Please check with individual venues to confirm opening hours and facilities before visiting.

Zines Forever! DIY Publishing and Disability Justice
Until 14 September 2025
Wellcome Collection
Free Admission

‘Zines Forever! DIY Publishing and Disability Justice’ looks at how zines have been used to share experiences of disability and disabled identity. A form of radical self-publishing, zines come in all shapes, sizes and media, from single-page handwritten mini-zines to tactile zines exploring accessibility through braille and audio.
Visitors can spend time relaxing and reading zines in a bed.

This show is highly recommended by DASH's Associate Director (Curatorial/International) Rachel Fleming-Mulford.


Hamad Butt: Apprehensions - Whitechapel Gallery
Until 7 September 2025
Whitechapel Gallery

Hamad Butt: Apprehensions is the first major survey of Hamad Butt (b. 1962, Lahore, Pakistan; d. 1994, London, UK).

One of the most innovative artists of his generation, Hamad Butt was a pioneer of intermedia art, bringing art into conversation with science, whilst also referencing his Queer and diasporic experiences. He offered a nuanced artistic response to the AIDS crisis in the UK, taking a conceptual rather than activist approach.

This show is also recommended by Rachel Fleming-Mulford.

Image courtesy of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Watch Us Lead - Christopher Samuel
Until 31 December 2025
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Free Admission

Watch Us Lead is an exhibition about missing stories from history. Through it, artist Christopher Samuel explores themes of stigma, belonging, and agency.

Through nine newly recorded interviews for the city of Birmingham’s collection, Watch Us Lead highlights the experiences of disabled people of colour in Birmingham, particularly Black individuals: a largely underrepresented group within the community of the city.

This exhibition aims to spark conversations around the ongoing issues of under-representation, autonomy, and the real disabled experience.
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Shelter - The Outside In National Exhibition
Until 19 October 2025

New Art Gallery Walsall
Free Admission

The award-winning charity Outside In was established in 2006 to support artists who meet additional barriers to the art world. This might be due to health, disability, social circumstances or isolation.

For this 7th National Open Exhibition, 81 artists have responded to the theme of ‘shelter’. The works on display have been selected from open submission. The selection panel included artist Exodus Crooks and Outside In artists Pamela Schilderman and George Parker-Conway alongside staff from both organisations.

This exhibition is on display across the third floor galleries. (Lift access is available).
A programme of events accompanies the exhibition, including:

Celebrating ‘Shelter’
Saturday 28 June, 12-3pm. Free
An opportunity to meet Director of Outside In, Marc Steene and some of the participating artists.

BSL Tour with Olivier Jamin

Saturday 27 September, 2-3pm. Free.
Join Deaf artist, Olivier Jamin, for a tour of the Outside In National Open Exhibition in British Sign Language. Interpretation into spoken English will be provided, making the tour accessible for both hearing and Deaf visitors. Advance booking essential. To book, email alex.jolly@walsall.gov.uk

Art as Refuge Conference 2025 - Friday 19 September & Saturday 20 September. Please check the Gallery's website for event details.

Jason and The Wakefield Adventure
Until Sunday 7 September 2025
Wakefield Exchange
Free Admission

Wakefield Exchange and artist Jason Wilsher-Mills are proud to present Jason and the Wakefield Adventure, Jason’s first large-scale exhibition of work in his hometown of Wakefield, where the artist was born in 1969. At 11 years old, Jason was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition triggered by chickenpox, which confined him to a wheelchair. Through brightly coloured psychedelic inflatables sculptures and interactive digital projections, Jason’s artworks celebrate disability, northern working-class heritage, popular culture and social history.

A relaxed family craft workshops programme accompanies the exhibition.

This exhibition is recommended by our Future Curators Programme evaluator Morag Ballantyne.

Design and Disability
Until Sunday 15 February 2026
V&A South Kensington

£16.00

Free tickets are available for Disabled people and a companion.

Both a celebration and a call to action, Design and Disability showcases the radical contributions of Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent people and communities to design history and contemporary culture, from the 1940s to now.

A touch tour with audio description takes place on 28 August 15:00-16:00. Booking is essential.

This exhibition is recommended by our Future Curators Programme partner Trish Goddard of Disability Arts Online.

Food Not Cuts: an exhibition on disability, food access, and care
Until 9 November 2025

The Food Museum, Stowmarket
Free Admission

Food Not Cuts is an exhibition and immersive sound installation curated by Anahita Harding, Curatorial Fellow with Curating Visibility funded by Arts Council England and Art Fund.

The exhibition highlights the lived experiences of disabled people as they navigate barriers to food and cooking, and how cuts to care hours have impacted disabled people when it comes to food.

Food not Cuts includes Easy Read labels, audio description, BSL interpretation (via QR code) and large print text.

Towards New Worlds - Digital
Dis_place Online Gallery
Free access

Towards New Worlds is a digital presentation of thirteen artists' experiences of seeing, hearing, feeling and sensing the contemporary world.

The exhibition explores a rich variety of human perceptions and sensory experiences through works of art, which make connections between the artists’ internal worlds and their external environments.

The artworks consider issues in the contemporary world, including justice, ecological consciousness, connectivity and care.

The original exhibition was shown at MIMA. and has been reformatted for online display at Dis_place - a space for disabled, crip, sick, neurodivergent and neuroqueer art practice, theory and politics, hosted by Disability Arts Online.