The New Exhibitions To Book This Summer
Ryoji Ikeda, 180 The Strand
Fact Magazine and The Vinyl Factory have teamed up to host this Ryoji Ikeda exhibition at 180 Studios. The largest exhibition of the artist’s work ever staged the collection invites viewers to immerse themselves in Ikeda’s dynamic digital universe. A subterranean exploration of sound and light, the show takes viewers on a sensory journey through the gallery’s labyrinth-like spaces. The 12 artworks include the world premiere of Ikeda’s Data-Verse trilogy – a towering, triple-screen immersive project commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary, and a site-specific, synapse-splitting new iteration of ‘Test Pattern’. The exhibition also features never-seen-before installations such as ‘Point Of No Return’ – an intense audio-visualisation that creates a virtual experience similar to entering a black hole; and ‘Spectra III’ – a tunnel of strobe lighting that made its premiere at the 2019 Venice Biennale.
Until 18th September
Visit 180TheStrand.com
Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Natural History Museum
Now in its 56th year, the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year showcases extraordinary animal behaviour and the incredible diversity of life on earth. Each year, visitors are encouraged to explore the world's best nature photography, experience the changing face of nature and uncover the surprising – and sometimes challenging – stories behind the images, all taken during a time of environmental crisis. Each image has been selected by a panel of international experts and showcases some of the very best wildlife photography in the world. Educational and awe-inspiring, this is an absolute must.
Until 1st August
Visit NHM.ac.uk
Reopening, Museum of The Home
The Museum of the Home – formerly the Geffrye Museum – is located in a series of almshouses on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch. It explores home and home life from 1600 to the present day with a series of period room displays. Recently reopened with a new look and name, the museum’s interactive ‘Rooms Through Time’ collection is based on real London homes based on owners who would have had enough money to decorate and live comfortably. The rooms feature everything from a 1970s front room to a drawing room in 1830, living room in 1931 and a loft-style apartment in 1998 – complete with a copy of How To Eat by Nigella Lawson and a stainless steel Habitat pepper mill. In the Home Galleries, visitors can explore the concept of home through people’s everyday experiences of making, keeping and being at home over the last 400 years. Make sure to check out the museum’s series of gardens, each dedicated to a different style – from Tutor knots to modern green rooftops.
Open now
Visit MuseumOfTheHome.org.uk
Peter Blake: Time Traveller, Waddington Custot
Peter Blake: Time Traveller is an exhibition dedicated to the ground-breaking exploration of collage by iconic British artist Peter Blake. This comprehensive show, which includes a number of important museum loans, investigates the fundamentals of Blake’s practice in collage over a career spanning seven decades, bringing together historic works and never-before-seen pieces. The exhibition charts the development of his work, beginning with his layering of subject matter in early painted compositions and experiments with collaged paper in the 1950s. From here, the exhibition travels via Blake’s rise to prominence as the ‘Godfather of British Pop art’ to his current, self-proclaimed ‘Late Period’. Marylin Monroe, wrestlers and clowns are shown alongside work around souvenirs and holiday postcards, and the artist’s largest canvas work to date – ‘Late Period: Battle’ – is on view for the first time.
Until 13th August
Visit WaddingtonCustot.com
Claudia Andujar: ‘The Yanomami Struggle’, Barbican
This exhibition is devoted to the life and work of photographer and activist Claudia Andujar and her collaboration with the Yanomami, one of Brazil’s largest indigenous peoples, who she has spent her life documenting and defending. Over 200 photographs, an audio-visual installation and a series of drawings by the Yanomami have been brought together for the exhibition. They reflect the nature of Andujar’s five-decade relationship with them, highlighting her commitment to both art and activism. At a time when the Yanomami’s territory is threatened and their way of life at risk, due to ongoing illegal mining and the spread of Covid-19, the exhibition not only presents Andujar’s art but also amplifies the voices and struggles the Yanomami are facing.
Until 29th August
Visit Barbican.org.uk
Naturally Brilliant Colour, Kew Gardens
This summer, Kew Gardens is hosting an exhibition dedicated to ‘Pure Structural Colour’, the boldest, brightest colour on Earth. On display for the first time, these striking jewel-like shades have never been recreated by humans until now. Visitors will see the incredible technology in the world’s first botanical artwork using Pure Structural Colour, by renowned artist Coral G Guest; be immersed in a large-scale kaleidoscope containing glass created with this new colour; get a taste for how it could be used in the world of fashion and art; and get a preview of prototype accessories coated with the new form of colour. Families visiting Naturally Brilliant Colour will be able to pick up a free booklet on entry to the exhibition, featuring fun facts and activities to complete as you explore, before continuing the fun at home with a DIY kaleidoscope kit.
Until 26th September
Visit Kew.org
Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Tate Modern
On until October, Tate Modern is currently showing a long-overdue recognition of Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s pivotal contribution to modern art and design. Taeuber-Arp was one of the foremost abstract artists and designers of the 1920s and 30s and her multidisciplinary work has enduring influence, inspiring innovative artists and designers around the world. Her creative output was extraordinarily diverse and at times controversial – she made embroideries and paintings, carved sculptures and edited magazines, created puppets and mysterious Dada objects, combining traditional crafts with the vocabulary of modernist abstraction. This is the first retrospective of her work ever held in the UK, and it brings together her principal works from major collections in Europe and the US, most of which have never been seen in this country before. A must for modern art fans.
Until 17th October
Visit Tate.org.uk
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