Five London exhibitions not to miss this Summer
As we move through this dull summer, the art season seems like a better option than parks and beaches. London’s art scene remains dynamic, with many exhibitions on view. Some will only end at the end of September or early October and now is the perfect quiet time to catch up on these must-see shows. Here are five exhibitions worth attending. Each offers an enriching experience that can leave a lasting impression.
1. Francis Alÿs: Ricochets | Barbican | 1 Sep 2024
Francis Alÿs is renowned for his critically acclaimed projects engaging local and global communities and groups. In his recently inaugurated exhibition at London’s Barbican Centre, titled “Ricochets”, he explores the universality and ingenuity of play. On view until September 1st, 2024, the exhibition is the largest institutional show of the Belgian artist in the UK.
The show features several video pieces produced by Alÿs across the world, including Nepal, Cuba, Belgium, and Morocco, among many others. “Children’s Games” (1999-present) is a series of films showing children playing games. The multi-screen installation is displayed alongside several paintings that reveal a place in time that underpins the cinematic playground of “Children’s Games”.
“Ricochets” presents the most comprehensive survey of “Children’s Games” to date, and offers a glimpse into children’s imaginary, playful worlds in dialogue with different reflections on culture, place, and collectivity.
2. Judy Chicago: Revelations | Serpentine Galleries | 1 Sep 2024
“Judy Chicago: Revelations” is currently on view at the Serpentine Gallery in London until September 1st. This extensive solo show focuses on the decade-long career of Judy Chicago, one of the most celebrated female contemporary artists, known for her large-scale, collaborative installation pieces. Intertwining feminism, activism, and the historical role of women in different periods, contexts, and social struggles, Chicago’s works have shaped art history from a feminist perspective.
The exhibition at the Serpentine aims to explore Chicago’s rarely seen drawings and archives which highlight her diverse practice throughout six decades. Chicago is famous for her monumental installation “The Dinner Party”, a triangular table with ceremonial banquet where she gathers thirty-nine place settings paying homage to important women in history. The exhibition features interviews with artists who participated in this groundbreaking piece.
“Revelations” is the first major immersive institutional exhibition in London exhibiting the work of Judy Chicago, and it offers insight into the artist’s remarkable creative process and studio practice.
3. Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada | South London Gallery | 8 Sep 2024
“Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream)” is the first solo show of Dominican Republic-born, New York City-based artist Firelei Báez in the UK. The exhibition is on view at South London Gallery until September 2024 and features a series of immersive installations and large abstract paintings.
Báez is well known for her use of vibrant colours, delving into the historical narratives of the African diaspora in the Caribbean and beyond. Her works at SLG explore colonial histories by addressing myths, fantasy, science fiction, and folklore as tools for cultural and spiritual resistance. She often uses painting as a medium through which actions of storytelling and mapping engage in a dialogue with a complex body of work.
Various mythical figures permeate her pieces, and the exhibition at SLG encourage viewers to experience the nuances between human and non-human, reflecting on spirituality and investigating holistic understandings.
4. In the Eye of the Storm Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s | Royal Academy | 13 Oct 2024
The exhibition “In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s” is on display at the Royal Academy in London until October 13, 2024. This survey brings together works by modernist Ukrainian artists, featuring 65 works ranging from oil paintings and sketches to collage and theatre design. The show traces the emergence of modernism in Ukraine, followed by the First World War and the establishment of Soviet Ukraine.
It highlights the multiplicity of artistic approaches happening in the country at the beginning of the twentieth century, emphasising the experimental nature of the artworks. While the territory of Ukraine had been divided and suffered a number of political intervention and turmoil, a sense of national unity and identity developed, offering a rich cultural background for artists, writers, and thinkers.
The exhibition at the RA provides an overview of these early modernist art practices, and reunites pieces from the collections of the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine.
5. Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920 | Tate Britain | 13 Oct 2024
The exhibition “Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920”, on view at London’s Tate Britain until October 13th, 2024, centres around the works of different women on their journeys to become professional artists. Spanning four centuries, the exhibition celebrates more than 100 women working in Britain whose artistic production has been overlooked or completely erased from public memory and mainstream art history.
“Now You See Us” features remarkable female artists from the sixteenth century such as Susanna Horenbout (1503–1554) and Levina Teerlinc (c.1510s–1576), who are among the earliest women in Britain to be named as artists. The exhibition also includes works by more famous names such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Angelica Kauffman, Julia Margaret Cameron and Gwen John.
Ending with the period of the twentieth century, the show reflects on important historical events of the time and the emergence of modernism. The First World War and women’s suffrage are depicted in the modernist works of Gwen John, Vanessa Bell and Helen Saunders. It showcases more than 200 works across various mediums: oil painting, watercolour, pastel, sculpture, and photography, among others.
Caroline Fucci for London Art Walk
July 2024