Exhibitions not to miss in London this August 2020
Toyin Ojih Odutola: A Countervailing Theory
When: The Barbican
When: 11 August – 23 August 2020
Price: Free
Image: Babrican
#FLODown: The Barbican’s art gallery, The Curve, presents the works of Nigerian-American artist Toyin Ojih Odutola. Odutola explores an imagined ancient myth, with an immersive accompanying soundscape by artist Peter Adjaye. Odutola plays with the notion that drawing can be a form of storytelling, and challenges viewers to piece together fragments of the stories she presents. Working exclusively with materials such as pastels and charcoal, Odutola takes inspiration from ancient history, popular culture and contemporary politics.
Location:
The Curve, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, UK, EC2Y 8DS
Nearest station:
Barbican Underground Station
Masculinities: Liberation through Photography
Where: The Barbican
When: until 23 August 2020
Price: £15 on Mondays to Friday, £17 on Saturdays and Sundays
Image: The Barbican
#FLODown: This exhibition looks at the complex and sometimes contradictory representations of masculinity from the 1960s to the present day. This concept is explored through photography and film. Expect to see the works of over 50 international artists, photographers and filmmakers including Sunil Gupta, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Isaac Julien and Catherine Opie.
Location:
Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
Nearest station:
Barbican Underground station
Cao Fei: Blueprints
Where: Serpentine Gallery
Where: Until 13 September 2020
Price: Free
Image: Cao Fei
#FLODown: Cao Fei is a multi-media artist and filmmaker based in Beijing. This exhibition marks her first large-scale institutional solo exhibition in the UK and brings together new and existing works in an immersive installation that continues Fei’s ongoing exploration of the virtual world. She examines how the virtual world has radically altered our perception of self and changed the way we understand reality. You must book a free timed ticket in advance.
Location:
Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
Nearest station:
Lancaster Gate or Hyde Park Corner station
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk
Where: The Victoria and Albert Museum
When: 27 August – 25 October 2020
Price: £16-18
Image: @vamuseum
#FLODown: This exhibition explores the significance of the kimono on the rest of the world, specifically looking at the social, satirical and aesthetic impact that the kimono has had from the 1960s through to the present day. The iconic kimono is a traditional Japanese garment, both elegant and delicate in appearance, traditionally worn by both men and women it can be seen as reflective of a person’s social class and identity.
Location:
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
Nearest station:
South Kensington station
Steve McQueen Year 3
Where: Tate Britain
When: until 31 January 2021
Price: Free
Image: MTotoe
#FLODown: Steve McQueen invited every Year 3 pupil in London to have their photograph taken by a team of Tate photographers. This included children from state primary schools, independent schools, faith schools, special schools, pupil referral units and home-educated pupils. The photos have been brought together into a large-scale installation to document the milestone year in the development of tens of thousands of pupils!
You must book a free timed ticket in advance.
Location:
Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Nearest station:
Pimlico station
Gauguin and Impressionists
Where: Royal Academy of Art
When: 7 August – 18 October 2020
Price: £17 (£15 without donation - concessions are available)
Image: Royal Academy of Arts
#FLODown: The Royal Academy of Art is offering a unique opportunity to view the Ordrupgaard Collection’s of Impressionist works, from Monet and Degas, to pre-Impressionist artists like Corot and Courbet, as well as artists associated with the Barbizon School such as Dupré and Daubigny. If Impressionist art is your calling, you are in for a treat with this one. The exhibition also features a series of works by Paul Gauguin, which span his career and focuses on the development of his highly personal use of colour and simplified forms.
Due to social distancing, tickets are limited and have now sold out. They will be releasing more tickets throughout August. Click here to sign up to their emails and be notified when tickets become available.
Location:
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD
Nearest station:
Green Park station
Rex Southwick: Purple Lands
Where: UNIT London
When: Until 29 August 2020
Price: Free
Image: @unitlondon
#FLODown: UNIT London is showcasing the works of Rex Southwick in an exhibition that explores affluence within the domestic setting. Through his paintings, Southwick explores contemporary lifestyle ideals, providing insight into the process by which we have arrived at the universally accepted western concept of ideal domestic lifestyle. There is no need to book before your visit. However, be prepared to wait if the gallery is too busy on your arrival. Click here for more.
Location:
3 Hanover Square, Mayfair, W1S 1HD
Nearest station:
Oxford Circus station
Andy Warhol Exhibition
Where: Tate Morden
When: until 15 November 2020
Price: £22 (free entry for members)
Image: who?du!nelson
#FLODown: The Tate Modern presents an Andy Warhol exhibition that explores his entire collection work from throughout his lifetime. From his famous images of Marylin Monroe (1967) to his Ladies and Gentlemen Series (1975) and Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962). You’ll also get the change to explore Warhol’s iconic silver cloud, a large floating metallic pillow hovering in space.
Location:
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Nearest station:
Southwark Tube Station.
Kara Walker Exhibition: Fons Americanus
Image: @kara_walker_official
Where: Turbine Hall, Tate Modern
When: Until 8 November 2020
Price: Free
#FLODown: The Tate Modern presents the works of Brooklyn-based artist Kara Walker, which has been commissioned by Hyundai. Walker has created a 42 ft. high fountain, Fons Americanus, inspired by the Victoria memorial outside of Buckingham Palace. Located in the Turbine Hall, the fountain depicts the American deep south’s history of slavery, in a reproduction of JMW Turner's 1840 painting Slave Ship.
Location:
Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Nearest Station:
Southwark Station
Schoeni Projects: #disCONNECT Exhibition
Where: Townhouse Clapham Common (address will be provided upon booking)
When: until 24 August 2020
Price: Free
Image: MTotoe
#FLODown: The Schoeni Project’s inaugural exhibition is bringing 10 artists from seven different countries together for a ground-breaking exhibition in a townhouse located in Clapham Common. The line-up includes works by Vhils, Aida Wilde, David Bray and HERAKUT. The exhibition reflects the physical constraints of the current global coronavirus pandemic and explores the psychological and political reactions to the crisis.
The Schoeni Project is a new contemporary art platform based in London and Hong Kong. It is promoting and celebrating cross-cultural exchange through an innovative series of collaborations, presented in unique creative environments. Click here for more about their work.
Location:
Schoeni Projects LDN, Near Clapham Common, London, SW4
Opening hours:
Wednesday – Sundays 11 am – 5 pm (max 8 people per slot)
Mushrooms: The art, design and future of Fungi
Where: The Charles Russel Speechlys Terrace Room Series, Somerset House
When: until 13 September 2020
Price: Free
Image: MTotoe
#FLODown: The Mushrooms exhibition features the works of over 40 leading artists, designers and musicians, who are all exploring the cultural legacy of fungi. Highlights from the exhibition include work by renowned author Beatrix Potter, as well as inspiring works from emerging contemporary artists.
You must book a free timed ticket in advance. Whilst the exhibition is free, visitors are being asked to consider making a donation.
Location:
Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
Nearest station:
Charring Cross station