Female-led art exhibitions to see in London in 2024
Marina Abramović's 2023 solo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts marked a historic moment as the first solo show by a woman in the RA's Main Galleries. While strides have been made in achieving gender equality in the art world, there's still progress to be made. Encouragingly, the National Portrait Gallery has increased the representation of female sitters in their portraits from 35 to 48 percent. Additionally, Tate Britain's recent rehang features the work of about 70 living artists, with half of them being women.
In 2024, London offers a platform for outstanding women artists with notable exhibitions including a retrospective of Yoko Ono, an exhibition at the Serpentine by Barbara Kruger, a showcase dedicated to the works of Angelica Kauffman, and all-female group shows curated by Tate Britain exploring themes of ecology, climate, and art activism. As well as solo shows by emerging artists. Discover exhibitions highlight the diverse talent and perspectives of women artists in London's art scene today.
Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You
#FLODown: Barbara Kruger, renowned for her impactful exploration of visual culture and societal themes, will host her solo exhibition, Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You, at Serpentine South and Outernet Arts in London after more than two decades. This return to Serpentine showcases Kruger's installations, moving images, and soundscapes, engaging deeply with contemporary issues of power, gender, and capitalism. Featuring iconic works like ‘I shop therefore I am’ and ‘Your body is a battleground,’ alongside reinterpretations, this curated exhibition by Kruger herself aims to provoke thoughtful reflection on societal constructs, individual identity, and the evolving digital landscape.
Date: 1 February – 17 March 2024. Location: Serpentine South Gallery, London W2 3XA. Price: Free. Website: serpentinegalleries.org.
Yoko Ono Exhibition
#FLODown: Tate Modern present a major exhibition dedicated to Yoko Ono, a celebrated artist and activist known for her influential contributions to conceptual and performance art, experimental film, and music. Covering over six decades, the exhibition features Ono's diverse body of work, including early performances, works on paper, objects, and music. Visitors have the opportunity to engage with some of Ono's significant activist projects, such as PEACE IS POWER and Wish Tree.
Date: 15 February – 1 September 2024.Location: Tate Modern. Price: £22. Concessions available. Book now.
Angelica Kauffman Retrospective
#FLODown: The Royal Academy of Arts will host an exhibition dedicated to the life and art of Angelica Kauffman. This major retrospective traces her journey from child prodigy to esteemed painter, showcasing her celebrity portraits and pioneering history paintings. Explore Kauffman's rise to fame in London, her pivotal role as a founding member of the Royal Academy, and her later career in Rome. Heralded as 'the most cultivated woman in Europe' by her contemporaries, this exhibition will help you discover why.
Date: 1 March – 30 June 2024. Location: Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD. Price: £17. Book now.
Women In Revolt!
#FLODown: Women in Revolt! is a groundbreaking exhibition, surveying the work of more than 100 British women artists from 1970 to 1990, a period marked by significant societal, economic, and political changes. The exhibition spans diverse mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film, and performance, and explores pivotal moments such as the Women's Liberation movement, legal changes affecting women, maternal and domestic experiences, cultural movements like Rock Against Racism and Punk, the Greenham Common peace movement, the visibility of Black and South Asian Women Artists, Section 28, and the AIDS pandemic. Celebrating women often marginalised by mainstream art institutions, the show highlights their contributions to British culture and their legacy for future artists.
Date: 8 November 2023 - 7 April 2024. Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG. Price: from £17. Concessions available. Book now.
Cristina de Miguel: Dissolving
#FLODown: Cristina de Miguel's debut solo exhibition at Almine Rech London showcases thrilling and risky painterly feats. Her art, both fun and uncanny, defies simple explanation, characterised by fluid forms and daring techniques. Using acrylics on wet surfaces, her work evokes emotive distortions reminiscent of swimming and dissolving. It invites viewers to embrace uncertainty and find joy in exploration, defying narrative constraints and celebrating the mutability of experience.
Date: 29 February - 6 April 2024. Location: Almine Rech,Broadbent House, Grosvenor Hill, London W1K 3JH. Price: Free.
Maja Djordjevic: HOPE AND REBIRTH
#FLODown: Belgrade-born artist Maja Djordjevic's second solo exhibition at Carl Kostyál gallery, titled HOPE AND REBIRTH, delves into themes of empathy, empowerment, and resilience in the face of societal turmoil. Djordjevic's evocative paintings feature the iconic figure of "My Girl," embodying hope and solidarity in various roles. The exhibition showcases intricate floral motifs like the Lily of the Valley and Water Lily, laden with cultural and symbolic meaning. HOPE AND REBIRTH prompts viewers to reflect on the potency of empathy and the enduring optimism for a better future.
Date: 23 February 2024 – 16 March 2024. Location: Carl Kostyál, 12A Savile Row, London W1S 3PQ. Price: Free. Website: kostyal.com.
One of Hoxton’s favourite brunch spots - Friends of Ours has a new pop up in The Magazine restaurant site located at the Serpentine North Gallery…
Belmond unveils the Britannic Explorer, a Belmond Train, UK the first luxury sleeper train in England & Wales. Launching in July 2025, this innovative train blends British heritage, fine dining, and cultural exploration for an unforgettable travel experience…
London’s dazzling Winter Lights festival returns with 11 new installations and iconic displays, transforming Canary Wharf from 21 January 2025…
The UK Premiere of Antony Hamilton’s award winning piece 4/4 performed by Melbourne based Chunky Move, a leading Australian dance company, known for being on the boundary in the art form.…
The UK Premiere of Antony Hamilton’s award winning piece 4/4 performed by Melbourne based Chunky Move, a leading Australian dance company, known for being on the boundary in the art form.…
Running through 16 November, Juno Birch, an outlandish blue alien is performing her brand-new standup comedy show Probed. She is a British comedian and artist from Manchester, who rose to fame performing professionally in late 2018 and has built a cult following…
SKATE at Somerset House · EFG London Jazz Festival · Covent Garden Christmas lights · Booker Prize Shortlist Readings 2024 · Manchester Collective & Abel Selaocoe: Sirocco · Christmas at Kew · World Kindness Day · The Piano Lesson · Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2024 · Self-Made: Reshaping Identities · Drop in drawing at the National Portrait Gallery · Rachel Kneebone · Supperclub on the Tube · FoodCycle…
The 170-metre boardwalk, inspired by the area’s timber trade history, offers a new way to connect with nature and enhances the community-focused transformation of the 53-acre Canada Water site.
Housed in two vintage 1960s Victoria line carriages, this unique supper club transforms the carriages into an intimate dining experience three nights a week.
Peggy Gou headlines Field Day 2025 alongside Jungle, Skream & Benga, Folamour, and more in a star-studded lineup, as the festival moves to Brockwell Park for an electrifying start to summer.
Pitchfork Music Festival · Fireworks · Christmas Light Switch-on events · Voila! Theatre Festival · Canary Wharf Ice Rink · Picasso: Printmaker · Louis Blue Newby & Laila Majid: Inner Heat · Spirit of Lagos by Abi Morocco Photos · Urban Adventure Challenge · Unreported Uprisings by Inès Elsa Dalal…
EFG London Jazz Festival · Fireworks Displays in London · Skate at Somerset House · Chelsea Barracks Winter Fair · The 80s: Photographing Britain · Pitchfork Festival · 30 Years of Bugged Out! · Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair · Christmas at Kew · Christmas Lights in London · Winter Market Southbank Centre · Hacienda Sounds · Winter Light Festival · Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence, c. 1504 · Eva Recacha: The Picnic · Chunky Move: 4/4 · The Royal Opera: Hansel and Gretel
Claudette Johnson’s ‘Three Women’ mural, inspired by her earlier work and Picasso, celebrates the Black female experience while contributing to the station’s public art initiative.
Melek Zeynep Bulut’s Duo at the Painted Hall · An Evening with Fran Lebowitz · Celebrate Diwali with Rav & Tarunima · Fireworks displays in London · Víkingur Ólafsson & Yuja Wang: Two Pianos · Winter Market at the Southbank · Día de los Muertos with Disciples · Ekow Eshun: The Strangers · Preview: Blitz by Steve McQueen · Farah Atassi: The Lost Hours · Claudette Johnson: Three Women · Halloween with LEGO at Battersea Power Station
PATRÓN Tequila presents a month-long celebration featuring top DJs, signature cocktails, and vibrant Mexican food across London’s trendiest venues.
Frieze London came with much anticipation (and hesitation) this year…not least because of gloomy market outlooks. But the mood was cheery, and the crowd was buzzing…
Directed by Patrick Marber, who won a Tony Award in 2023 for Leopoldstadt, an exploration of Viennese Jewish history, the play features familiar TV faces and delivers an entertaining yet serious comedy that tackles weighty issue…
Frieze Sculpture · Halloween at Kew · Jan de Vylder and Inge Vinck · Gin and Jazz at Artesian Bar · LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair · London Literature Festival · Mahler 2 · Jordan Stephens · The Apprentice · Lift 109 Sound Bath · The World of Tim Burton · Francis Bacon · UMBRA · Making a rukus! · Oscar Murillo · Kioku Bar · Action for Happiness
Discover fifteen locations in London where you can enjoy the celebrations on the weekends before and after and the official Bonfire Night itself.
Captain Morgan and Pepsi MAX are celebrating their new pre-mixed drink with a two-day immersive in Shoreditch on 23 and 24 October 2024.…
In partnership with Penguin Books, Canary Wharf Group celebrates Black History Month by offering free, accessible literature from a diverse range of Black authors.
Leap Year explores Yang’s multifaceted, interdisciplinary, and inventive practice from the early 2000s to today, featuring key works from some of her most notable series…
12th edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2024 at Somerset House, London review…
Goodbye Horses is an excellent neighbourhood wine bar, offering a memorable combination of delicious food, great wine, and a lively atmosphere.
London Cocktail Week · Esther Mahlangu: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu · My English Persian Kitchen · Decorative Art Fair · András Schiff: Haydn, Schubert & Mozart · Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland · Barter and Bazaar: The Journey of Exchange · Nicola L. · Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit · Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation…
Frieze London and Frieze Masters · Halloween at Kew Gardens · BFI London Film Festival · LAPADA · London Literature Festival · Princess Essex at Shakespeare’s Globe · Fabric at 25 · András Schiff: Haydn, Schubert & Mozart · London Cocktail Week · Wildlife Photographer of the Year…