Art news to be on your radar this week: 23 February - 1 March 2026

This week in art, there’s plenty to get excited about. The V&A has acquired a historic YouTube watch page, while more details have been revealed about what Lubaina Himid is presenting for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2026. Dulwich Picture Gallery will host Charlie Mackesy’s first UK museum exhibition, the Young Barbican Takeover returns for a day of creativity, and Art Basel 2026 has revealed its first highlights. Here are our top five stories to be on your radar this week.

V&A acquires historic YouTube watch page featuring first ever upload

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has acquired a reconstruction of an early YouTube watch page featuring the first video ever uploaded to the platform, Me at the zoo by Jawed Karim. Now on display in the Design 1900–Now gallery at V&A South Kensington from 18 February 2026, the acquisition marks a significant step in how the museum collects and preserves digital design. Rebuilt in collaboration with YouTube’s User Experience team and interaction design studio oio, the display recreates the platform as it appeared in December 2006, highlighting the origins of user-generated content and the evolution of online media culture.

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YouTube watch page, 8 December 2006 (reconstructed 2026). Museum nos. CD.13:2-2026, CD.14-2026, CD.15:2, 4, 5 and 9-2026. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

More details revealed for Lubaina Himid’s British Pavilion exhibition at Venice Biennale 2026

The British Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2026 will feature Lubaina Himid CBE RA’s major solo exhibition titled Predicting History: Testing Translation. The show examines themes of belonging, home, and migration, using large multipaneled paintings, detailed narratives, and a surreal soundscape created with artist Magda Stawarska. Himid’s work reflects on the tension between old and new spaces, blending storytelling, historical research, and performance to challenge dominant Eurocentric narratives and highlight overlooked contributions of Black figures in Western history.

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Lubaina Himid CBE RA. Image courtesy of the British Council. Image credit Adama Jalloh

Dulwich Picture Gallery to host first UK museum exhibition of Charlie Mackesy

Dulwich Picture Gallery has announced its first UK museum exhibition by best-selling author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy, titled Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Fox, the Mole, the Horse… And You. Specially curated by Kate Bryan, the exhibition will present never-before-seen early sketches, unpublished studies and original works, offering visitors of all ages a rare insight into Mackesy’s creative process and his belief that art is for everyone. Alongside preparatory drawings, audiences will encounter finished illustrations from his internationally acclaimed book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse and its sequel, celebrated worldwide for their messages of hope, resilience and friendship. The exhibition will also feature a new original drawing created especially for the Gallery, a ‘soft monologue’ audio guide by the artist, and opportunities for visitors to create their own artwork, highlighting the powerful role creativity can play in wellbeing.

Date: 3 November 2026 – 7 February 2027. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery, College Road / Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD. dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Charlie Mackesy. Image Credit Charlie Gray

Young Barbican Takeover returns this March

Young Barbican Takeover returns to the Barbican Centre on Sunday 29 March, presenting a one-day festival curated for and by young people. The event brings together live music, poetry, film screenings, workshops, a makers market, and a roller disco across the Barbican’s iconic spaces. Aimed at London’s emerging creatives aged sixteen and over, the festival celebrates collaboration, creativity, and community, offering activities from crafting and zine-making to dance, drama, and inclusive roller-skating sessions. Tickets are £12, or £10 for Young Barbican members.

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Image courtesy of the Barbican Centre

Art Basel 2026 first highlights revealed

Art Basel has announced 290 galleries from 43 countries for its 2026 flagship show in Basel, including 21 newcomers. The fair will showcase a wide range of work, from historical masterpieces to cutting-edge contemporary and digital practices, and will feature expanded sectors such as Premiere with 17 ambitious museum-scale presentations. Public commissions by Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama, along with curated projects like Stefanie Hessler’s Parcours and Ruba Katrib’s Unlimited, will extend the experience across Basel’s city spaces, blending art-historical depth with forward-looking innovation. The fair runs from 18–21 June 2026 at Messe Basel, Switzerland.

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Art Basel in Basel. Courtesy of Art Basel