The best London art exhibitions: a guide for this weekend
Your guide to the best London art exhibitions this weekend, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
Narrowing down your London art exhibitions must-see list is rarely easy, even in the quieter months on the art calendar. As spring enters full swing, stay up-to-date with our guide to the best London art shows in the city and around the UK in May 2023.
The best London art exhibitions to see in May 2023
Soojin Kang: ‘To Be You, Whoever You Are’
Gathering
Until 17 June
In ‘To Be You, Whoever You Are’ at Gathering, Korean textile artist Soojin Kang has created a series of sculptural figures in which textiles – woven, knotted, wound and unwound – trace the vascular constructs of the body. In these curious sculptures, hand-dyed linen, jute and silk become the veins, bones and skins of figures – some busts, some full bodies, and some isolated parts – with fabric draped and wrapped around robust steel armatures. Staged across both floors of Gathering, the figures in the show are curiously ritualistic – are they themselves deities, or made to serve one?
Maki Na Kamura
Michael Werner
Until 17 June
What can be found in Maki Na Kamura’s paintings? The Osaka-born, Berlin-based artist describes her work as ‘Caspar David Friedrich plus Hokusai minus Romanticism minus Japonisme’ - a complex recipe that reaps a singularly enthralling result. The reference points for her paintings, now on view in full effect at Michael Werner Gallery – are as broad as they are eclectic, from Millet and Dürer to K-pop; her vibrant canvases are charged with frenzied whirls of abstraction and figuration, seamlessly shifting between the two.
Isaac Julien: ‘What Freedom Is to Me’
Tate Britain
Until 20 August 2023
Artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien’s Tate Britain retrospective ‘What Freedom Is to Me’ questions histories, and explores activism, but is also full of joy and beauty. The retrospective covers 40 years of work specialising in film, photography and installation explores activism, selfhood, how we make histories, knowledge and Black and queer identity, with exhibition design by Adjaye Associates.
Maisie Cousins: 'Walking Back To Happiness'
TJ Boulting
Until 17 June 2023
Inspired by her obsession with Blobbyland theme park, and formative childhood holidays, Maisie Cousins created Walking Back to Happiness, a nostalgic, unnerving and curious series of AI works showing at TJ Boulting gallery. Cousin's also recently staged a site-specific installation circling a sculpture in TJ Boulting's booth at Photo London.
Writer: Sophie Gladstone
Antony Caro: ‘The Inspiration of Architecture’
Pitzhanger Manor
Until 10 September 2023
Antony Caro was, undoubtedly, a revolutionary in sculpture, subverting existing conventions in material, surface and form. He was also a master of the intersection, proving how art and architecture are not mutually exclusive entities. Caro’s relationship with architecture is now being explored at Pitzhanger Manor, London through 16 key works created between 1983–2013. The sculptures engage in a choreography of sorts with Sir John Soane’s building, notably in Caro’s inclusion of coloured Perspex, which echoes Soane’s epic use of stained glass.
David Hockney: ‘Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)’
Lightroom
Until 4 June 2023
David Hockney’s ambitious, immersive art show in London transforms chapters of his creative life, iconic paintings, rarely-seen pieces and some newly created work into a multisensorial experience. Three years in the making, ‘David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)’ is the launch show at Lightroom in King’s Cross, London. The four-storey-high space, designed by London architects Haworth Tompkins, is a joint venture between design studio 59 Productions and the London Theatre Company.
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Svenskt Tenn gets a summer makeover courtesy of Margherita Missoni
At Svenskt Tenn, Margherita Missoni curates 'A postcard from Italy,' a summer takeover of the Stockholm gallery (until 27 August 2023), as well as special edition pieces
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
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Carlotta is a London homage to 1980s Italian-American cooking
Carlotta is bringing all the chintz and meatballs of the best Italian-American restaurants to London's Marylebone
By Mary Cleary • Published
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A show on British cooling towers explores these sculptural giants
'British Cooling Towers - Sculptural Giants' is a new exhibition created by Twentieth Century Society (C20 Society) and Margaret Howell, presented during the London Festival of Architecture 2023
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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The art fair personality test: what type of Frieze New York visitor are you?
Are you a selfie seeker or a champagne visualist? Take our art fair personality test to identify yourself at Frieze New York 2023 (17-21 May)
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
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Sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro transforms Fendi’s Rome HQ into a theatre of myth and magic
Fendi’s Roman HQ sets the scene for ‘Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà’ a major show by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, who has also created a one-off edition of the house’s iconic Peekaboo bag. Read more in the July 2023 Issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands 8 June
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
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All eyes on Christina Quarles, the painter inventing a new figurative language
Los Angeles-based artist Christina Quarles is in her element, with two major solo shows underway at Hamburger Bahnhof and Hauser & Wirth Menorca
By Emily McDermott • Published
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Bridget Riley unveils her first ceiling painting for the British School at Rome
Bridget Riley reveals her design for Edwin Lutyens’ ceiling at the British School at Rome
By Hannah Silver • Published
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‘Avedon 100’: cultural stars reflect on the photographer’s boundary-shattering legacy
In a new Gagosian exhibition, ‘Avedon 100’, marking the centenary of Richard Avedon’s birth, leading cultural figures – from Naomi Campbell to Spike Lee – share personal stories on the photographer’s remarkable career
By Sophie Gladstone • Published
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Isaac Julien’s Tate retrospective: multi-screens, ‘sonic tapestries’ and moments of joy
Artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien’s Tate Britain retrospective ‘What Freedom Is to Me’ questions histories, explores activism, but is also full of joy and beauty
By Amah-Rose Abrams • Published
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Superflex on building an underwater city for fish: ‘there are different rules down there’
Danish art collective Superflex discuss their ambitious Super Reef, an underwater urbanisation project aiming to restore more than 55 square kilometres of stone reef in Danish seas
By Alice Godwin • Published
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Felicia Honkasalo on creative obsessions, gothic horror, and the sci-fi world of AI photography
Explore the vision of Helsinki-based artist Felicia Honkasalo in ‘Through the lens’, our monthly series spotlighting photographers who are Wallpaper* contributors
By Sophie Gladstone • Published