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Shenzhen / Around Town / Art & galleries

艺术展览 · Updated Sat 10 Oct

Art exhibitions & galleries in Shenzhen

The exhibitions on now at Shenzhen's museums, taken from the museums' own listings — what just opened, what closes soon, what it costs — plus a guide to the city's galleries by area, with opening hours where the museums publish them.

  • 13 on now
  • 0 free
  • 0 closing this week
  • 0 opening soon
Wayfinders of the Stars: Austronesian Seafaring Cultures — OCAT Shenzhen, OCAT Shenzhen
Wayfinders of the Stars: Austronesian Seafaring Cultures — OCAT ShenzhenOn nowOCAT Shenzhen, OCT · 4 Sep – 1 Nov · ¥89

Last chance closing within 7 days

Nothing closes this week — you've got time. Next to go:

  • 8days to go

    Lindy Lee

    Design Society · last open day Sun 18 Oct · Centre pass from ¥68 (set day) / ¥97 (flexible day)

Opening soon & just opened first-week buzz

No new openings listed yet.

Exhibition timeline

Every show running in Shenzhen over the next three months — see at a glance what's about to close and what's coming.

  1. Lindy Lee

    Design Society · Centre pass from ¥68 (set day) / ¥97 (flexible day) · 15 Aug – 18 Oct

    15 Aug – 18 Oct

  2. Wayfinders of the Stars

    OCAT Shenzhen · ¥89 · 4 Sep – 1 Nov

    4 Sep – 1 Nov

  3. Yan Shanchun

    MOCAPE · From ¥30 · 1 Sep – 19 Nov

    1 Sep – 19 Nov

  4. Pan Yuliang

    MOCAPE · Not confirmed (MOCAPE entry is free; some shows are ticketed) · 25 Aug – 29 Nov

    25 Aug – 29 Nov

  5. Prix Pictet

    Fotografiska Shenzhen · From ¥48 (day pass to all shows) · 1 Oct – 29 Nov

    1 Oct – 29 Nov

  6. Foreign Lands and Mother Tongue

    He Xiangning Art Museum · See details · 19 Sep – 6 Dec

    19 Sep – 6 Dec

  7. Michael Najjar

    Fotografiska Shenzhen · From ¥48 (day pass to all shows) · 1 Oct – 17 Jan 2027

    1 Oct – 17 Jan 2027

  8. Jon Burgerman

    Prince Bay Art Center · ¥38 early bird · ¥68 regular · 30 Sep – 28 Feb 2027

    30 Sep – 28 Feb 2027

  9. TOILETPAPER

    Fotografiska Shenzhen · From ¥48 (day pass to all shows) · 1 Oct – 14 Mar 2027

    1 Oct – 14 Mar 2027

  10. Shi Guowei

    Fotografiska Shenzhen · From ¥48 (day pass to all shows) · 1 Oct – 14 Mar 2027

    1 Oct – 14 Mar 2027

  11. David Hockney

    BASE Digital Art Center · From ¥58; reduced tickets for children under 1.5 m, over-60s and students · 25 Sep – 30 May 2027

    25 Sep – 30 May 2027

  12. Prehistoric Planet

    BASE Digital Art Center · From ¥58; reduced tickets for children under 1.5 m (with an adult) · 1 Oct – 30 May 2027

    1 Oct – 30 May 2027

  13. Transcendent Realities

    Fotografiska Shenzhen · From ¥48 (day pass to all shows) · 1 Oct – 30 Sep 2027

    1 Oct – 30 Sep 2027
  • Closing within a week
  • Just opened
  • On now
  • Opening soon

Art exhibitions in Shenzhen now

One entry per show, however long it runs. Closing and just-opened shows first. Know a show we're missing? Tell us.

Everything around town →

Galleries in Shenzhen, by area

Opening hours and entry where the museum publishes them, the metro — and what's on at each right now.

Closed Mondays.Most public museums in Shenzhen shut on Monday (and open on public-holiday Mondays instead). Fotografiska and Design Society's galleries open daily. Today is Saturday: the museums below are open.

OCT cluster, Shenzhen

OCT cluster华侨城

Converted factories, the city's contemporary art space and two museums on one stretch of Line 1. Start here.

Budget: Half a day · 2 exhibitions on

  • OCAT Shenzhen华侨城当代艺术中心

    The city's serious contemporary art space, in a former factory at the top of OCT Loft.

    Wayfinders of the Stars · On now · until 1 Nov

    Hours not verified

    Website down when we checked (Sep 2026)

    Entry: not verified — check before you goL1 Qiaocheng East

  • OCT Loft华侨城创意园

    Creative park of converted warehouses: pop-ups, bookshops, design studios and coffee. T-Street Creative Market runs about twice a month at weekends.

    Hours not verified

    Open-air park; galleries and shops keep their own hours

    Entry: free to wanderL1 Qiaocheng East

  • He Xiangning Art Museum何香凝美术馆

    National art museum for 20th-century Chinese painting, with a calm sculpture garden.

    Foreign Lands and Mother Tongue · On now · until 6 Dec

    • M
    • T
    • W
    • T
    • F
    • S
    • S

    9:30am–5pm · closed Mon

    Last entry 4:30pm · open public-holiday Mondays

    Entry: no ticket price or booking listed by the museumL1 Huaqiaocheng (OCT) · Exit C

  • OCT Art & Design Gallery华美术馆

    Design-led exhibitions in an old OCT warehouse remodelled by local architects Urbanus.

    Hours not verified

    Entry: not verified — check before you goL1 Huaqiaocheng

Futian museums, Shenzhen

Futian museums福田中心区

The big civic institutions around Civic Center and Lianhuashan — ink painting, architecture and the city's own story.

Budget: 2–4 hours · 2 exhibitions on

  • MOCAPE深圳市当代艺术与城市规划馆

    Coop Himmelb(l)au's silver cloud by Civic Center: contemporary art and urban planning.

    Yan Shanchun · On now · until 19 Nov

    Pan Yuliang · On now · until 29 Nov

    Hours not verified

    No official website found

    Entry: not verified — check before you goL4 Civic Center

  • Shenzhen Museum深圳博物馆

    How a fishing county became a megacity in 45 years — the best primer for newcomers.

    Hours not verified

    Entry: not verified — check before you goL4 Civic Center

  • Guan Shanyue Art Museum关山月美术馆

    Lingnan-school ink painting at the foot of Lianhuashan. Quiet, cool and never crowded.

    • M
    • T
    • W
    • T
    • F
    • S
    • S

    9am–5pm · closed Mon

    Last entry 4:30pm

    FreeFreeL3 Lianhua Village · Exit C

Houhai & Nanshan, Shenzhen

Houhai & Nanshan后海 · 南山

Fotografiska's photography museum on top of Shenzhen Bay MixC, open until 11pm, and the Nanshan Museum's free loan shows.

Budget: 2–3 hours · 5 exhibitions on

  • Fotografiska ShenzhenFotografiska深圳湾美术馆

    The Swedish photography museum's Shenzhen outpost, 5,300 m² on the top floor of Shenzhen Bay MixC, with a restaurant.

    Prix Pictet · On now · until 29 Nov

    Michael Najjar · On now · until 17 Jan

    TOILETPAPER · On now · until 14 Mar

    Shi Guowei · On now · until 14 Mar

    Transcendent Realities · On now · until 30 Sep

    Daily until 11pm from 1 Oct 2026 (opening time not published yet)

    TicketedDay pass to all shows from ¥48 · discounts for 25 and under, 65 and overL2 Houhai · Exit K1

  • Nanshan Museum南山博物馆

    Local history from Nantou's 1,700 years to the Shekou reforms, plus big free loan shows.

    • M
    • T
    • W
    • T
    • F
    • S
    • S

    10am–6pm · closed Mon

    Saturday late opening to 9pm · open public-holiday Mondays

    FreeFree, no bookingL1 Taoyuan · Exit A

Shekou & Design Society, Shenzhen

Shekou & Design Society蛇口

Design Society on the Sea World waterfront, with the bay right outside.

Budget: 2–3 hours · 1 exhibition on

  • Design Society设计互联

    Fumihiko Maki's terraces on the Sea World waterfront; design shows and a public roof.

    Lindy Lee · On now · until 18 Oct

    • M
    • T
    • W
    • T
    • F
    • S
    • S

    10am–7pm · open daily

    Gallery hours; no current show listed on its website

    Entry: priced per show — not verifiedL2 Sea World

Dafen, Shenzhen

Dafen大芬油画村

The oil-painting village that supplied the world's hotel walls — hundreds of open studios around a small museum.

Budget: Half a day · 0 exhibitions on

  • Dafen Art Museum大芬美术馆

    A white box in the middle of the village, showing what the copy-painters make for themselves.

    Hours not verified

    Entry: not verified — check before you goL3 Dafen

  • Dafen Oil Painting Village大芬油画村

    Hundreds of studios and shops. Watch a Van Gogh being copied, or commission a portrait (agree the price first).

    Hours not verified

    Studios keep their own hours; busiest at weekends

    Entry: free to wanderL3 Dafen

Plan an art afternoon

Walkable plans built around the shows on now — timed around the museums' last entry.

OCT cluster

OCT: two shows and the Loft

  • 3–4 hours
  • Tue–Sun, from 1pm
  • No ticket listed
  1. 13:00

    He Xiangning Art Museum

    Two shows at once, plus the sculpture garden. Last entry 4:30pm.

    On nowForeign Lands and Mother Tongue

    One stop east on Line 1, or a 15-min walk

  2. 15:00

    OCT Loft

    Wander the converted warehouses: bookshops, studios, coffee. OCAT sits at the top end — check what's on at the door.

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Galleries in Shenzhen: FAQ

Are museums and galleries in Shenzhen free?

Many public museums are: Guan Shanyue Art Museum and the Nanshan Museum are free, and so were all of their current shows when we checked. The big exception is Fotografiska Shenzhen (opens 1 October 2026), where a day pass to all its shows starts at ¥48. Some special shows elsewhere charge too — every listing on this page shows its entry price.

Which days are Shenzhen museums closed?

Most public museums close on Mondays and open on public-holiday Mondays instead; last entry is usually 30 minutes before closing (4:30pm at He Xiangning and Guan Shanyue). Exceptions: Fotografiska is open daily until 11pm, Design Society's galleries open every day, and the Nanshan Museum stays open to 9pm on Saturdays.

Do I need to book, and can foreigners book?

Not at He Xiangning or the Nanshan Museum, which don't mention booking for individual visitors. Where a museum does use a WeChat mini-program for timed slots, a passport number usually works; if it fails, show your passport at the desk. Around public holidays like National Day week, check before you go.

Are exhibitions in English?

It varies. He Xiangning Art Museum puts exhibition pages and forewords in English on its website. Elsewhere wall texts are often Chinese-only — the camera translate in WeChat or your phone handles them well.

What's the best area for galleries in Shenzhen?

OCT in Nanshan: He Xiangning Art Museum, OCT Loft (with OCAT at its top end) and OCT Art & Design Gallery are on Line 1 around Huaqiaocheng and Qiaocheng East stations. For an evening, Fotografiska at Shenzhen Bay MixC (Houhai station, exit K1) stays open until 11pm.

How do I find exhibition openings and artist talks?

We list them on this page when a museum publishes a date. Many Shenzhen museums announce openings only on WeChat, so we miss some — if you know of one, tell us at szmeetups.com/submit.

Photowalks →Self-guided photo routes: Nantou, Huaqiangbei neon, Shekou — and the photography shows
Around Town →Festivals, markets and new openings this week
Fotografiska Shenzhen →The new photography museum at Shenzhen Bay, open until 11pm