What’s on in London this week: 13 - 19 January 2025
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 13 - 19 January 2025.
La Pendue: La Manékine
Happening this week at the Barbican as part of MimeLondon 2025, La Pendue presents a striking new production of The Girl Without Hands. Blending puppetry, storytelling, and a live one-man orchestra, the show reimagines the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairy tale about a miller who naively bargains with the devil, setting off a thrilling tale of deception, disappearance, love, and redemption. Created by Estelle Charlier and Romuald Collinet, the French company is celebrated worldwide for their distinctive puppetry and complex narratives.
Date: 14 - 18 January 2025. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £18 + BF. Book now.
January Blues Festival
The January Blues Festival 2025 is in full swing this month, bringing an exciting series of live blues performances to 229 Great Portland Street. Featuring an outstanding line-up of legendary artists and rising stars, the festival celebrates the rich and diverse heritage of blues music. This week’s highlights include performances by Sonny Landreth, Sugaray Rayford, the Chicago Blues Explosion, and a special tribute to Kate Bush.
Dates: 3 –31 January 2025. Location: 229 Great Portland St, London W1W 5PN. Price: from £15 (early bird) - £35. Tickets for every concert for £250 (+fees). Book now.
NOVO Quartet
This week at Wigmore Hall, the Novo Quartet will perform a compelling concert featuring Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4 in C minor Op. 18 No. 4 and String Quartet No. 9 in C Op. 59 No. 3 ‘Razumovsky.’ The quartet, comprising Kaya Kato Møller (violin), Nikolai Vasili Nedergaard (violin), Daniel Sledzinski (viola), and Signe Ebstrup Bitsch (cello), will showcase Beethoven’s innovative reimagining of the classical quartet form, influenced by Mozart and Haydn.
Date: 19 January 2025. Time: 3pm. Location: Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP. Price: This performance is part of the Cavatina 25 Scheme, offering free tickets for those aged 25 and under in specific rows. Tickets are £10 (plus a £4 booking fee). Book now.
NOVO Quartet to preform at Wigmore Hall on 19 January 2025. © NOVO Quartet.
JENŮFA
Jenůfa opens this week at the Royal Opera House, conducted by Jakub Hruša and directed by Claus Guth in his Olivier Award-winning production. This gripping Janáček opera explores themes of shame, betrayal, and redemption, following Jenůfa, who hides her pregnancy from her family after being abandoned by her lover, Števa. Her stepmother, the Kostelnička, becomes increasingly obsessive in her efforts to protect Jenůfa’s reputation, leading to a tragic revelation. Featuring Corinne Winters as Jenůfa and Karita Mattila as the Kostelnička, the production is infused with Janáček’s folk-inspired music, capturing Jenůfa’s emotional journey and the dark transformation of her stepmother. The opera is sung in Czech with English subtitles.
Date: 15 January - 1 February 2025. Duration: 2 hours 55 minutes, including two intervals. Location: Royal Ballet and Opera, Bow St, London WC2E 9DD. Price: £8–£175. Book now
Special Edition: The Fourth Space
The Fourth Space event will bring together four contemporary South Asian poets—Sascha Aurora Akhtar, Hafsah Aneela Bashir, Jamal Mehmood, and Alycia Pirmohamed. Through their readings and discussions, they will delve into the concept of the “fourth space,” a creative and critical framework developed by writers Sandeep Parmar, Nisha Ramayya, and Bhanu Kapil. This concept offers South Asian writers a platform to explore and articulate their lived experiences on their own terms. The event will also include a Q&A session, providing valuable insights for those interested in contemporary poetry, publishing, and the craft of writing.
Date: 15 Janaury 2025. Location: The National Poetry Library is on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall. Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: £7. Book now.
Jenufa - Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden.
London Short Film Festival
The 22nd London Short Film Festival kicks off this week, running from 17 to 26 January 2025. It will showcase up to 500 British and international short films, selected from over 5,000 submissions, and host special events, workshops, panels, and discussions. The festival takes place at various locations throughout London.
Date: 17 - 26 January 2025. Location: throughout London. Click here for the full programme of this year’s festival.
Tarantula
Tarantula, written by Philip Ridley and directed by Wiebke Green, stars Georgie Henley in a gripping one-person show. The play follows Toni, a teenager in East London, whose first kiss on a sunny spring day takes a dark turn when someone watching changes her life forever. Tarantula explores identity, memory, love, and the impact of the past. On Wednesday 15th January, there will be an exclusive post-show talk with Georgie Henley and Wiebke Green, offering a behind-the-scenes look at bringing the play to life.
Date: 15 January 2025. Location: Arcola Theatre, London. Price: from £15. Book now.
Jason Singh Drifters live AV show © Julian Fraser.
Jason Singh: Drifters (live AV show)
Jason Singh: Drifters (Live AV Show) is a unique live performance where sound artist and composer Jason Singh provides a live soundtrack to John Grierson’s 1929 silent documentary film Drifters, which explores Britain’s North Sea herring fishery. As Artist in Residence for the 2025 Earth Unwrapped series, Singh combines vocal sound effects, beatboxing, and live sampling using d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape system to create an immersive cinematic experience.
Date: 17 January 2025. Time: 8pm (Doors: 7.30pm). Duration: It will last approximately 1 hour, without an interval. Location: 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.Price: £10 - £20 + 12.5% (£6 cap) Transaction fee + £1 Building levy. Book now.
Cinema
We Live in Time (15)
Set in London, We Live in Time, directed by John Crowley, stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh in a sweeping, non-linear romance about love, life, and mortality. Tobias (Garfield), reeling from a divorce, meets ambitious chef Almut (Pugh) after she accidentally hits him with her car. Their connection deepens as they navigate the possibilities of life and the inevitability of loss. Crowley, known for Brooklyn and The Goldfinch, blends past and future moments into a powerful and moving story.
Date: until 16 January 2025. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £13. Book now.
Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh with Grace Delaney in the romantic drama We Live in Time.
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Jake Grewal: Under The Same Sky
Jake Grewal’s first London institutional exhibition at Studio Voltaire presents new works, including a 6-metre curved canvas, blending landscape painting with introspective themes. Inspired by India and Cornwall, Grewal’s compositions capture transformation in light and time.
Date: 15 January - 13 April 2025. Location: Studio Voltaire, 1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR. Price: Free. studiovoltaire.org.
New Contemporaries
Returning to the ICA this January, New Contemporaries showcases 35 emerging UK artists, selected by Liz Johnson Artur, Permindar Kaur, and Amalia Pica. The exhibition will focus on themes such as sustainability, borders, and digital alienation.
Date: 15 January – 23 March 2025. Location: Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH. Price: Free. ica.art.
Danilo Zocatelli Cesco, Dear Father, I believe we found our peace (2024), Photography.
Matthias Groebel: Skull Fuck
Modern Art hosts Matthias Groebel’s first solo exhibition, showcasing his pioneering use of machine-assisted techniques to transform broadcast TV images, personal photos, and filmed footage into paintings. The exhibition will feature both single-panel and multi-panel works, including rare pieces.
Date: 17 January – 22 February 2025. Location: Modern Art, Helmet Row. 4-8 Helmet Row London EC1V 3QJ. Price: Free. modernart.net.
Gregg Bordowitz: There: a Feeling
Camden Art Centre presents the first UK solo exhibition by American artist and AIDS activist Gregg Bordowitz. There: a Feeling explores his diverse practice, including video, performance, and prints, with highlights like the autobiographical documentary Before and After (Still In Progress) (2023).
Date: 17 January - 30 March 2025. Location: Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road, London, NW3 6DG. Price: Free. camdenartcentre.org.
Click here for more exhibitions opening in London this week.
Gregg Bordowitz, Some Styles of Masculinity. Performance view, New Museum, New York (2018). Image credit Chloe Foussianes.
Last chance to see
Francis Bacon: Human Presence at the National Portrait Gallery
On display at the National Portrait Gallery, Francis Bacon’s work offers a profound exploration of the human form and condition, featuring a beautiful collection of his portraits and figure studies.
Date: until 19 January 2025. Location: National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Price: from £23; concessions available. Book here
As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic at Saatchi Gallery
The exhibition features powerful photographic works from the Black Atlantic, offering nuanced perspectives on identity, community, and resilience through the lens of Black artists.
Date: until 20 January 2025. Location: Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY. Price: from £6. Book here
Self-Portrait, 1973 By Francis Bacon 355 x 305 mm Oil On Canvas Private Collection © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved, DACS/Artimage 2024. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.
Uncanny Valley by Daniel Silver at Frith Street Gallery, Golden Square
Daniel Silver’s Uncanny Valley is presented at Frith Street Gallery’s Golden Square location. The exhibition delves into the eerie and often unsettling intersection between the familiar and the unknown, a concept central to Silver’s sculptural practice.
Date: until 18 January 2025. Location: Frith Street Gallery, 17-18 Golden Square, London, W1F 9JJ. Price: Free.
Motion in Stillness: Dance and the Human Body in Movement at Victoria Miro
This group exhibition at Victoria Miro Gallery II explores the dynamic relationship between dance and visual art, capturing the human body’s grace and expressiveness in motion. The show features works by various artists who interpret movement through different mediums.
Date: until 18 January 2025. Location: Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Rd, London N1 7RW. Price: Free.
Installation shot Motion in Stillness: Dance and the Human Body in Movement at Victoria Miro. © Victoria Miro.
Mythic Time / Tens of Thousands of Rememberings by Lina Iris Viktor at Sir John Soane’s Museum
This collaborative exhibition between artist Lina Iris Viktor and Sir John Soane’s Museum presents works that intertwine myth, history, and memory, reflecting on the passage of time and collective remembrance.
Date: until 19 January 2025. Location: Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP. Price: Free.
Adaptation by Anastasia Samoylova at Saatchi Gallery
Anastasia Samoylova examines environmental change and human adaptation through striking, thought-provoking photographic works.
Date: until 20 January 2025. Location: Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY. Price: from £6. Book here
Anastasia Samoylova, Beauty Salon, Milan, 2022 © Anastasia Samoylova.
María Berrío: The End of Ritual at Victoria Miro
María Berrío’s The End of Ritual depicts moments of disquiet within densely populated interiors, where the old world meets the new. The exhibition explores the dynamic between performers and spectators, both within and beyond the frame.
Date: until 18 January 2025. Location: Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Rd, London N1 7RW. Price: Free.
born on the earth by Muzae Sesay at Tiwani Contemporary
In his UK debut, Muzae Sesay presents a vibrant collection of paintings reflecting memory, identity, and cultural heritage through bold, abstract forms.
Date: until 18 January 2025. Location: Tiwani Contemporary, 24 Cork St, London W1S 3NG. Price: Free.
Click here to discover more art exhibitions that will be closing in London in January 2025.
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Free event of the week
Barbican Conservatory
The Barbican Conservatory reopens to the public this week. © MTotoe.
The Barbican Conservatory reopens to the public on 17 January 2025. The conservatory, a hidden tropical oasis located in the Barbican Centre, is the second-largest conservatory in London. It’s free to visit, with tickets released one month in advance for online booking. A limited number of day tickets are available for booking each day from 9.30 am.
Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £13. Click here for more.
Click here for more indoor green spaces to visit in London this week.
Interview of the week
In conversation with Youngju Joung
Youngju Joung.
Youngju Joung’s paintings depict quiet urban landscapes, inspired by her childhood memories of Seoul. Her cityscapes, featuring flickering lights and weathered buildings, reflect both the poverty and affluence of Korean society. Using crumpled traditional hanji paper, she creates a sense of warmth and authenticity in her depictions of humble homes.
Click here for the full interview.
Food of the week
Galette des Rois at The Connaught Patisserie
Nicolas Rouzaud’s Galette des Rois at The Connaught Patisserie. Image credit MTotoe.
The Galette des Rois, crafted by Chef Nicolas Rouzaud, is now available at The Connaught Patisserie. This traditional French pastry, made with buttery puff pastry and almond frangipane, celebrates Epiphany. A fève hidden inside crowns the finder as king or queen for the day. Chef Rouzaud’s reimagined version features a wildflower-inspired design, symbolising renewal.
Available until 31 January 2025 at The Connaught Patisserie. Click here for more.
Location: The Connaught Patisserie, The Connaught, Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL. Price: individual slices are £7.50 for takeaway or £9 for dining in. £50 whole.
Cause of the week
Together We Art: Architects of One’s Life
Lorna May Wadsworth, How you doin?
Life Project 4 Youth (LP4Y) will host the second London edition of Together We Art: Architects of One’s Life at The Royal Society of Arts, from 27 - 31 January 2025, with a live auction on 30 January. Featuring over 20 works by artists, including Turner Prize nominee Pio Abad, architect Yasmeen Lari, Narinder Sagoo MBE, and others, the event supports LP4Y’s mission to empower young adults in extreme poverty through entrepreneurship and professional development. Following last year’s success, which raised over £110,000, the goal this year is to raise even more for LP4Y’s initiatives in Asia and the Middle East.
Date: 27 – 31 January 2025. Location: RSA House, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ.
As ski season kicks off, resorts like St. Moritz, Gstaad, Courchevel, Aspen, Whistler, and Verbier are becoming vibrant cultural destinations. Beyond world-class slopes, these hotspots offer a range of art exhibitions and outdoor sculptures. This guide highlights the must-see art exhibitions this winter across Europe, the US, and Japan…