What is the Meaning of Life?
16 May 2026 – 15 Nov 2026
We love how Sainsbury Centre's Big Question series, of which What is the Meaning of Life, is the current installment. Its more revelatory ond universal than art presented through the prism of a single artist's subjectivity.
What is the Meaning of Life? is the Sainsbury Centre's major exhibition for 2026, running from 16 May to 15 November. It comprises a constellation of exhibitions, installations and commissions presented together as an investigation into one of civilisation's oldest and biggest questions.
The component exhibitions are:
Living by the Rule: Contemporary Meets Medieval (16 May – 4 October) reflects on the routines and regulations that we live by today, placing extraordinary medieval objects — including the Hatton Codex, the earliest copy of the Rule of St Benedict in the world (c.700 AD); the Etheldreda Panels; and the Gorleston, Ormesby and Macclesfield psalters — in dialogue with works by contemporary artists. Curated by Dr Jessica Barker FSA (The Courtauld) and Dr Ed Krčma (UEA).
Play Power (16 May – 4 October) showcases the many forms of play, past and present, across games, toys and artworks. Curated by Tania Moore, Head of Exhibitions at the Sainsbury Centre.
Joy Like Time (20 June – 15 November) explores how memory, ritual and renewal intersect through the work of internationally renowned artists. Curated by John Kenneth Paranada, Curator of Art and Climate Change at the Sainsbury Centre.
Tree of Life (20 June 2026 – 30 May 2027) is a major woven sisal-rope installation exploring interconnectedness and cyclical existence.
Two commissions sit alongside the exhibitions: Life in the Multiverse by Libby Heaney (quantum-computing installations) and Catkins Forever: Plant Stories by Ruth Ewan (a community project rooted in the Sainsbury Centre's site).