Read about our must-see shows for April and May 2019. Immersive installations, digital works and photography feature from north to south.

International photography shows opening in early April document youth culture and life in the city through black-and-white and vibrant colour.

The Photography Show, New York, returns, presenting work which tap into themes of family, longing and existence in today’s globalised world.

Mark Cheetham’s new title, Landscape into Eco Art, seeks to broaden our understanding of what “contemporary eco art” is by opening up dialogues.

The 2019 Aesthetica Art Prize winners, Jenn Nkiru and Maryam Tafakory, are trailblazing new talents creating a space for a more inclusive society.

Isaac Julien’s moving-image installation Playtime considers the impact of economic structures on communities through the lens of the art world.

Aesthetica selects five must-read publications for April. This month’s books look to women in the arts, notions of home and evocative narratives.

Set against the raw mystic backdrop of the Californian desert, the latest series by Mona Kuhn takes new steps into abstraction.

New Artists: Olga Urbanek is self-taught, living and working in Iceland. Her images question the idea of “blending in” to new environments.

This issue is a celebration of the human spirit. Entitled ‘Time for Change’ it focuses on a moment of hope within the chaos of today’s world.

Leading open-air gallery Yorkshire Sculpture Park opens The Weston, a new, light-filled visitor centre and exhibition space by Feilden Fowles.

Must-see shows document traces of human activity on the planet. Photographers examine climate change, space exploration and urban life.

Fleshed out with warm, earthy tones, each of Christophe Barneau’s pictures casts a warm filter over virtual interiors and their items.

Pulled together by a deep green background, LM Chabot’s images demonstrate indulgence and finesse – from large concepts to minute details.

Evidence for climate change is overwhelming, from shrinking ice sheets to rising temperatures. Desert X places art at the centre of these discussions.

Charlotte Lapalus is eager to connect to audiences through warm, inviting images, often working to bring the female experience to the foreground.

Massimo Colonna’s compositions offer a journey into a pastel utopia. Balls, balloons, plastic bags and paper planes are transfixed in moments of stillness.

California’s largest city has earned a reputation as a design epicentre, offering ecologically responsible buildings that are a test bed for the future.

Shortlisted works for the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards interpret the modern world through responsive and thoughtful image-making.

Letizia Le Fur’s works are nourished by a sense of wanderlust – moving round spaces with a sensitive gaze. The images are laden with sensory markers.