Plan a trip to one of these destinations around the world hosting over-the-top art exhibitions in unexpected locations.
Art Reef Underwater Exhibition
Off the coast of the Algarve in Portugal, an unprecedented underwater art installation by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto (known as Vhils) transforms repurposed industrial materials into a submerged sculpture park. Accessible only by diving with a local charter, the project repurposes elements from former coal-powered facilities that have shifted toward renewable technologies. The installation comprises multiple works designed to evolve into living reef structures, attracting marine species and encouraging ecological regeneration as the pieces age and integrate with their surroundings.
© Walk Japan
Inland Sea Tour
Walk Japan offers a seven-day walking itinerary that explores the Inland Sea’s celebrated art islands: Momoshima, Naoshima and Inujima. This immersive route highlights how contemporary art has reshaped local landscapes and communities. Key stops include Benesse House Museum, Inujima Seirensho Art Museum and ArtBase, where visitors encounter site-specific works and long-term installations by artists such as Yukinori Yanagi. The tour blends cultural context, architectural interest and scenic island hikes, making it ideal for travelers who want deeper engagement with Japan’s art island movement.
Reykjavik Mural Tour
Reykjavik’s public art scene is vibrant and accessible, with streets and facades serving as canvases for large-scale murals and wall poetry. A self-guided or led mural tour reveals bold, colorful works and thought-provoking pieces that reflect Icelandic culture and contemporary issues. Highlights include well-known murals that have become local landmarks, each offering a different perspective on community, nature and identity within the capital’s compact, walkable neighborhoods.
© Ellerman House
Wine Gallery at Ellerman House
At Ellerman House in Cape Town, the Wine Gallery presents a contemporary intersection of art, design and viticulture. The space curates artworks that celebrate wine culture and terroir, including sculptural pieces made from bottles and corks, installations that reference vineyard soils and displays that contextualize South African winemaking. Notable exhibits include a large corkscrew sculpture that holds numerous bottles and a Terroir Wall showcasing samples of soil from prominent estates, offering visitors a tactile and visual narrative connecting art, place and taste.
Each of these destinations blends creative ambition with unique settings, whether submerged beneath the sea, dispersed across islands, painted onto city walls or integrated into a wine cellar. They offer travelers fresh ways to experience contemporary art beyond conventional museum walls.