Must-See Exhibitions That Have The Capital Buzzing
Book tickets to the most hotly anticipated London exhibitions now.
The days may slowly be lengthening but February remains firmly a month of indoor pursuits. The good news is, then, that the capital’s cultural bastions are ever obliging, supplying curious minds with often beautiful and always thought-provoking fodder for thought. Here, we guide you through the most hotly anticipated exhibitions currently taking the capital by storm.
The main galleries at the always-brilliant Royal Academy have been given over to 100 major contemporary and historic works, each of which contributes to a conversation about art and its role in shaping the way we regard empire, enslavement, resistance, abolition and colonialism. Offering a rare opportunity to view the work of Joshua Reynolds and JMW Turner alongside those of contemporary artists of the African, Caribbean and South Asian diasporas such as Sonia Boyce and Mohini Chandra, it allows history to speak to the present and thus, one hopes, inform the future. Declaring its own role in the history of colonialism, the RA says, ‘Informed by our ongoing research of the RA and its colonial past, this exhibition engages around 50 artists connected to the RA to explore themes of migration, exchange, artistic traditions, identity and belonging.’ Book tickets.
Tate Modern, 15 February – 1 September
The largest-ever exhibition dedicated to the ideas of the conceptual artist, Yoko Ono: Music Of The Mind features over 200 works and tracks the trajectory of Ono’s ideas and processes. It examines the most divisive of her works, from Cut Piece (1964), a performance in which she invited viewers to cut the clothing from her body, to Film No.4 (Bottoms) (1966-67), a banned work which saw people’s behinds flash across the screen in place for signatures for peace. Book tickets.
Rome’s enormous empire owed its very existence to its fearsome military might. The west’s first professional fighting force, it also granted citizenship to its soldiers – or at least those who survived the many bloody and brutal battles it took for Rome to rule the world, thus dispersing multitudes of Romans throughout the world. This fascinating new exhibition at The British Museum looks at what life was truly like for the soldiers and their families, asking the big questions: ‘What did life in the Roman army look like from a soldier's perspective? What did their families make of life in the fort? How did the newly-conquered react? Legion explores life in settled military communities from Scotland to the Red Sea through the people who lived it.’ Book tickets.
The National Portrait Gallery takes a deep dive into the representation of the Black figure in contemporary art for its new exhibition, which has been curated by writer Ekow Eshun, using it as a prism through which to view the ‘richness and complexity of Black life’ Expect works from leading artists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Jordan Casteel, Noah Davis, Godfried Donkor, Kimathi Donkor and Denzil Forrester. Book tickets.
Photo: Christopher Gardner. Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian; The Marchioness by Toyin Ojih Odutola (2016). Copyright Toyin Ojih Odutola. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo courtesy of North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.
An ode to the glory of glass, a new exhibition at the wonderful Two Temple Place celebrates this most remarkable of materials, starting in the mid-19th century and plotting key moments in the UK’s glassmaking history from thence forward. But in addition to acclaiming its many properties, it also shines a light on the traditional craftsmanship that goes into its making and the danger we are in of losing those skills. They say, ‘Expressive and amorphic from the initial molten state of its formation, to the reflective and light-transmitting qualities of its final form, dazzling artworks here will shine a light on some of the now endangered traditions of working in glass.’ Book tickets.
It’s the last chance to catch this glorious exploration of the life and work of Gabriele ‘Coco’ Chanel at the V&A, charting her establishment of the House of Chanel and examining how her revolutionary designs shook up the way women dressed forever and left an indelible mark on the fashion industry. Book tickets.
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