Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham

Opened in 2009 in the city’s historic Lace Market district, Nottingham Contemporary is one of the largest and most ambitious contemporary art centers in the UK. Designed by acclaimed architects Caruso Saint John, the building is notable for both its scale-over 3,000 square meters of space-and its striking façade: scalloped verdigris panels embossed with a traditional Nottingham lace pattern, paying homage to the city’s textile legacy. Much of the building is built into the sandstone cliff of Garners Hill, a site once home to Saxon forts, medieval town halls, and even Victorian railway lines.

Inside, Nottingham Contemporary offers four spacious galleries, a café-bar, a shop, an auditorium, and dedicated spaces for education and research. It hosts four to five major exhibitions each year, showcasing influential contemporary artists from around the world. Since its opening with works by David Hockney and Frances Stark, the gallery has gained a reputation for thought-provoking programming. Landmark exhibitions have included The Place is Here (2017), a powerful survey of Black British art; States of America (2017), the UK’s largest survey of American photography; and From Ear to Ear to Eye (2017–18), which explored listening and voice in the Arab world.

More than just an exhibition space, Nottingham Contemporary operates as a registered charity and community hub, offering extensive educational programs for all ages. Its integration of art, architecture, and history has won praise from critics: Owen Hatherley described it as “perhaps the first masterpiece of British architecture of the twenty-first century,” while Building Design lauded its sensitive relationship with the city.

Bold yet grounded in place, Nottingham Contemporary continues to be a dynamic platform for challenging art and cultural dialogue.