The London Arts Scene: Summer 2022
When it comes to cultural and creative output, London has a lot to say for itself! From cutting-edge exhibits on the climate crisis to major retrospectives on the country’s greatest artists, there’s plenty to stimulate curious minds in the capital. As well as the big names – the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum – you’ll find a treasure trove of eclectic collections too.
We’ve picked out a selection of the best art and cultural exhibitions taking place in London during the summer of 2022.
Exhibit: African Fashion at The V&A
‘Africa Fashion’ at the V&A takes visitors on a compelling journey from the 1960s to the present day in a bid to reshape existing geographies and narratives of style.
Artsi Ifrach’s Maison Artc ‘A Dialogue Between Cultures’ involves a lot of organza, ribbon and a plastic-fishbone crinoline, dress and mask, while James Barnor’s Kodachrome photographs embrace colour. You can also see a salt-crystal necklace by Ami Doshi Shah, Ibrahim Kamala’s loving 2022 photographic homage to designer Chris Seydou’s and Gouleh Ahmed’s images of non-binary people.
This exhibition celebrates Black designers’ work on Black mannequins, with Black photographers and filmmakers working with Black stylists and models.
When? On now until Sunday, 16 April 2023
Where? Victoria and Albert Museum
How much? £16.00, Discount for under 26s, Other concessions apply.
Exhibit: Brent Biennial 2022, In The House Of My Love
This year’s theme is ‘In the House of my Love’ looking at the many meanings of homemaking. Taking place in a cluster of locations in the south of the borough: Kilburn, Willesden and Harlesden, there’ll be 12 artists’ projects to explore over the summer.
Look out for Katarzyna Perlak’s traditional Polish paper chandeliers hanging in St Matthew’s Church in Willesden; a former fish and chip shop in Kilburn transformed into a Jamaican takeaway diving into the dancehall’s golden era in northwest London by Linett Kamala and dance performances unpicking queerness, Black identity alongside a public programme of talks, workshops, screenings and family activities.
‘In the House of my Love’ seeks to honour the long-standing systems of support, safety and hospitality that are currently present in Brent, revisiting other systems that are close to the borough’s past and working together to visualise and conceive ways forward. In addition to the 12 artists’ project, three additional community-led commissions - with Asian Women’s Resource Centre, SUFRA Foodbank and Kitchen and Young Roots – will extend beyond the exhibition dates.
When? On now until Sunday, 11 September 2022
Where? Various: including Kilburn, Willesden, and Harlesden
How much? Free
Link: metrolandcultures.com/whats-happening/programmes/brent-biennial
Exhibit: The High Life
The High Life will be Lydia Blakeley’s largest solo exhibition in the UK presenting a series of paintings, painted sculptural sun loungers and cool box planters containing cacti and crystals.
Taking the 1995 Microsoft advertising campaign ‘Where do you want to go today?’ as a point of departure – where a montage of people connect and explore via the internet – and linking it with the Covid-19 pandemic – where people had to experience the world through the internet – Blakeley’s installation looks at the digital realm of escapism during a period of crisis. Using imagery from holiday websites and the influx of budget holiday adverts, Blakeley’s intention for the paintings is to ‘suspend those fleeting and aspirational scenes for the viewer’s contemplation’.
This exhibition is generously supported by The Paul and Louise Cooke Endowment, Arts Council England, Niru Ratnam, London and Partizan.
When? On now until Sunday, 4 September 2022
Where? Southwark Park Galleries
How much? Free
Exhibit: Jubilation, 200 Years of Royal Souvenirs
A fascinating display celebrating over 200 years of Royal-inspired packaging and Jubilee souvenirs opened at the Museum of Brands in London’s Notting Hill on 21 May 2022. The display will feature products and brands that show how UK consumer culture and Royal history has changed since the Victorian era.
Alongside the visual displays, families can get involved by making their own Jubilee-themed bunting and crown, and enjoy two new Jubilee trails for children and adults which call attention to some of the captivating Royal objects of the Museum’s collection.
When? Until 31 December 2022
Where? Museum of Brands
How much? £9
Exhibit: Weird Sensation Feels Good, The World of ASMR
This exhibition lifts ASMR out of the screen and into the ‘acoustically tuned’ physical space for the first time ever, with works from designers and content creators who try to trigger the response in audiences through their work. Created in collaboration with ArkDes, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, the exhibition also explores the emerging fields of creativity that have grown around the feeling.
This is the first exhibition of its kind to lift the world of ASMR out from your screen and into physical space. Step into an acoustically tuned environment and understand how people are using new and existing tools and materials to navigate our complex world.
When? Until 16 October 2022
Where? The Design Museum
How much? From £9.50
Link: https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/weird-sensation-feels-good-the-world-of-asmr#
Exhibit: Our Time on Earth at The Curve
We belong to an incredible ecosystem. One species among millions of others, striving to live together in a delicate balance. It’s Our Time on Earth. What are we going to do with it?
This is an immersive exploration of radical ideas for the way we live, where technology brings you closer to nature, and indigenous insight reconnects you to your roots. Visitors can enter the story of their future, with perspectives spanning art, science, activism – and more.
Imagine sitting down to eat, next to diners from other species. Commuting through a rewilded city, over a bridge made of roots or immersing yourself in the magnificent underground world of soil.
Created with guest curators Caroline Till and Kate Franklin, discover dynamic responses to the climate emergency.
When? Until Monday 29 August 2022
Where? Barbican Centre
How much? From £18
Link: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/event/our-time-on-earth
Exhibit: Future Shock at 108 The Strand
Blurring boundaries between the physical and virtual, 180 Studios and Fact have curated an exhibition by pioneering artists at the apex of sound and vision who are imagining the new world of space.
Future Shock transforms 180 Studios's subterranean spaces through mesmerising and immersive digital technology - from generative and interactive algorithms, AI and 3D digital mapping, to spellbinding laser work, holographic projections and groundbreaking electronic music.
Featuring a line up of visionary artists - Ryoichi Kurokawa, UVA, Caterina Barbieri and Ruben Spini, Lawrence Lek, Actual Objects, Gener8ion, Weirdcore, Gaika, Nonotak, Ben Kelly, Hamill Industries, Ib Kamara, Ibby Njoya, Object Blue and Natalia Podgorska - who reimagine our near future with multiple new commissions, site-specific installations and vital sensory experiences that challenge our preconceptions and offer up new possibilities.
When? Until Sunday 28 August 2022
Where? 108 The Strand
How much? From £18
Exhibit: Visions of Home
Launching in Summer 2022, 'Visions of Home', curated by Ukrainian-born artist and photographer Ira Lupu, consists of six major public realm artworks that form part of our free Wembley Park Art Trail. On display until October 2022, 'Visions of Home' incorporates a variety of photographic artworks, murals, and digital artworks – all conveying powerful messages to raise awareness of just how the sense of home has been forever altered, from the perspective of Ukrainian artists. ‘Visions of Home’ gently celebrates this peaceful place of belonging as an inseparable concept that lives forever in the Ukrainian consciousness, using the urban landscape of Wembley Park, with careful consideration, as the canvas for art allows the viewer to absorb its power and beauty at every turn, in a subtle yet impactful way.
When? On now until 31 October 2022
Where? Wembley Park
How much? Free
Exhibit: Our Broken Planet
This free exhibition explores how humans have transformed the natural world for the worse. Museum scientists have selected 40 objects that best reveal the consequences of our actions and explore the solutions that might be able to help fix the damage. Highlights include a deep dive into how centuries of farming have transformed the earth’s landscape, the real price of sugar and what a joyous time it is to be a jellyfish. The exhibition is hosted in the Jerwood Gallery, which has held some of the museum’s most exciting and ambitious temporary exhibitions over the past three decades.
When? Until 29 August 2022
Where? Natural History Museum
How much? Free
Exhibit: The Show is Over
Bringing together more than 14 international artists, The Show is Over confronts the reality that notions of the end of the world are both constantly evolving and more present than ever. Each artist takes a personal approach to the subject of global politics and searches for new vocabularies in the afterlife of historical colonial violence. The exhibition, which is curated by Johannesburg-based Gabi Ngcobo in dialogue with Oscar Murillo, will fill all gallery spaces across the South London Gallery’s two public buildings. Artists involved include British-born Nigerian artist Karimah Ashadu, South African visual artist Moshekwa Langa and visual artist, dancer, and performer, Luana Vitra
When? From 24 June until 4 September 2022
Where? South London Gallery
How much? Free
Link: https://www.southlondongallery.org/exhibitions/the-show-is-over/
Exhibit: Colourful Elephant
Join Castle Square on Saturday 24th September from 11am-5pm in Zone 1’s Elephant and Castle for a FREE party; Colourful Elephant, open to all ages of the local community and Londoners to join in celebration of creativity and colour.
Visitors can expect a day full of performances, activities, workshops, music and food for all of the family to get stuck into. There will be theatrical performances by SuperArts Dance Academy narrating the story of Elephant and Castle, along with a DJ and music throughout the day. There will even be a bubbleologist who will fascinate visitors by filling them in giant bubbles! There will also be lots of painting throughout the day including FREE face painting and art workshops by Art in the Park. Visitors will be able to paint their very own Elephant and Castle’s which they can gift to family or friends or keep for themselves.
To top it all off, you will not want to miss the food on offer throughout the day from the traders of Castle Square including, featuring authentic flavours and dishes from all around the world! Coma Y Beba, Original Caribbean Spice, Daddy O’s and Kaieteur Kitchen will be just a few of the worldly cuisines located around the square with their most popular dishes on offer for you to try! The traders will also be offering a 10% discount throughout the day instore.
Exhibit: V&A East
They may not be exhibiting quite yet, but we simply had to mention V&A East – a new storehouse and museum which will open as part of East Bank, a new cultural and education destination within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London.
Opening at Here East in 2024, V&A East Storehouse will offer a new immersive experience, taking visitors behind the scenes and providing unprecedented public access to V&A collections. A short walk across the park, opening in 2025, V&A East Museum celebrates global creativity and makes it relevant to today’s world.
Both sites are part of East Bank, the Mayor of London's £1.1 billion Olympic legacy project, which will create a new arts, innovation and education hub in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
V&A East will build on the V&A's long-standing heritage in east London and their founding mission to make the arts accessible to all. It is a new champion of creativity for the 21st century. Through the lens of makers and making, V&A East will focus on how artists and designers work to transform our world for the better and will provide a platform for diverse, global storytelling.
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