The Sainsbury Centre has announced its upcoming exhibition programme for 2026, revealing two ambitious exhibition seasons.

The seasons will tackle some of the most enduring questions of human existence: What is the Meaning of Life? and How Do We Find Love?

Launching in May 2026 and continuing through until November 2026, What is the Meaning of Life? houses a series of exhibitions examining how humans have sought purpose, structure and joy across cultures and time.

The season explores themes ranging from rule-making and ritual to memory, play and the passage of time.

What is the Meaning of Life opens on May 16 2026 with Living by the Rule: Contemporary meets Medieval.

The exhibition places medieval works in dialogue with contemporary art to examine ideas of routine, regulation and discipline.

Living by the Rule will be shown alongside Play Power, investigating the role of play in human cultures and featuring works by André Breton, Eileen Agar, John Armstrong, Leo Robinson, Sir John Lavery and Lygia Clark.

Joy Like Time explores memory, renewal and ritual through works by internationally renowned artists Marina Abramović, Kalliopi Lemos and Gillian Wearing.

The second season, How Do We Find Love? opens 14 November 2026 and is open until to 30 May 2027.

It considers the emotional, cultural and political dimensions of intimacy, desire and human connection.

Amongst the exhibitions will be The Last Human Kiss, which will trace visual representations of kissing from pre-history through to its digital, mediated and post-human forms in the 21st century.

Featured alongside The Last Human Kiss, Ecstasy and the Aftermath will explore how love is formed, fractured and remembered through myth and ritual.

It will feature work by Francis Bacon, Penny Goring, Jonathan Baldock, Penny Slinger, Maya Weishof, and Holly Stevenson’s Love Bomb installation.

The final exhibition of the season, Love Stories, launches on 19 December 2026 as a photography exhibition capturing the raw realities of everyday intimacy and relational dynamics.

University of East Anglia students can take advantage of a free membership for the Sainsbury Centre, which includes free entry to the museum and the above exhibitions, and 10% off at The Terrace Cafe.

Image Credit: Marina Abramovic