The leaves may be turning, and the light fading, but museums and galleries are filling their rooms with exhibitions worth venturing out for. From major exhibitions and boundary-pushing contemporary art, to rediscovered masters exploring themes from nature to identity, these are the shows to see across the Nordic region this autumn
Inner Child: Playing with Design (Sweden)
Puzzle Shelf (2025) by Gustaf Westman. Photo: Courtesy of Artipelag
What it is: a playful exploration of imagination with the inner child at its core
With the intriguing opener of “What happens when we dare to see the world through the curious eyes of a child?,” Artipelag opens its doors to imagination and childlike wonder. Created exclusively for Artipelag by leading trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort and curator Philip Fimmano, INNER CHILD: Playing with Design brings over 100 international designers and artists together over eight thematic chapters. Featuring works by Sweden's own Gustaf Westman, Scottish-Swede Nick Ross, and including celebrated international artists such as Victoria Yakusha, Pierre Yovanovich, Yinka Ilori, the exhibition spans sculptural furniture, objects, textiles and installations, all of which dive into the joy of creating by hand, and shine a light on the role that creativity plays in an increasingly digital world.
Why you should see it:
INNER CHILD: Playing with Design is the type of exhibition that will peak your curiosity and make you want to interact with everything. With colours, unexpected shapes, tactile fabrics and imaginative installations, the exhibition is a reminder that play is not just for children. Bonus: the exhibition design is the work of Dutch designers Kiki van Eijk and Joost van Bleiswijk, created in collaboration with their children Ko and Puk, adding a full-circle, playful element to the show.
INNER CHILD: Playing with Design is on at Artipelag from 10 October 2026 until 11 April 2027
Sequence of Spaces (Sweden)
Sequence of Spaces. Photo: Svenskt Tenn
What it is: Swedish design bastion Svenskt Tenn’s autumn exhibition
The reveal of Svenskt Tenn’s autumn exhibition is long-awaited each year. For 2026, Sequence of Spaces takes a position of past meets present, through the multifaceted creative meeting of two women: Anna Petrus, and Elvira Solana.
Petrus (1886-1949) was one of the leading figures of the Swedish Grace movement, and the artist behind some of Svenskt Tenn’s most recognisable pewter pieces. After her international breakthrough at the 1925 Paris Exhibition, Petrus gained renown for her pioneering work in cast iron, and particularly for establishing pewter ("tenn", in Swedish, after which Svenskt Tenn is named) as an artistic material. Spanish architect and artist Solana, who “interprets murals from an architect’s perspective,” is a pluralistic artist whose work even spans set design and scenography, as well as shaping interiors for hotels, residences and boutiques such as Hermès.
The exhibition brings together iconic Svenskt Tenn objects alongside sculptures from the Petrus family, and reintroduces archival objects in juxtaposition to, or enveloped by, Solana’s site-specific murals. The result is an immersive, complex dialogue of an exhibition, showcasing Petrus’ work in an updated context and spatial dimension.
Why you should see it:
Not only is Sequence of Spaces a unique opportunity to come close to rare archival items from Petrus's family, it is a chance to revisit the woman behind some of Svenskt Tenn’s most enduring objects. Combined with Solana’s mesmerising murals, the experience is more than an exhibition – it feels like a conversation that encompasses an entire century.
Sequence of Spaces is on view at Strandvägen 5 in Stockholm until 5 January 2027.