10 Must-See Exhibitions to See During San Francisco Art Week

From painting and performance to technology-driven and materially rooted practices, these exhibitions reflect the Bay Area’s singular relationship to landscape, innovation, and social inquiry.
Victoria Pokovba, Whitewall, January 20, 2026
As the first major art moment of the year, San Francisco Art Week sets the tone for what’s ahead. The week draws collectors, curators, and cultural travelers to the Bay Area, where mild winter weather, coastal light, and the pull of the Golden Gate frame a dense calendar of exhibitions and events, including FOG Design + Art. While the fairs anchor the schedule, some of the most compelling presentations unfold beyond the fairgrounds, inside galleries across the city’s neighborhoods, from the Minnesota Street Project to galleries including Jessica Silverman and Anthony Meier Gallery. Whitewaller compiles a selection of the most striking San Francisco Art Week exhibitions, offering quieter, more focused encounters with artists working across generations and disciplines. Whether fitting in a morning visit before the fair or winding down with an afternoon of looking, these are the gallery shows to see during San Francisco Art Week.
 

“The Sweet Appreciation of Freedom”

Jenkins Johnson Gallery at Minnesota Street Project

 

At Jenkins Johnson Gallery, “The Sweet Appreciation of Freedom” brings together contemporary artists of the Black diaspora whose practices address liberation, identity, and resilience in the present moment. Taking its title from a quote by Malcolm X, the exhibition coincides with Black History Month. It commemorates sixty-one years since his assassination, underscoring the continued urgency of freedom as an ongoing practice.

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