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You can still get cultured whilst saving some cash whether it’s wandering through art galleries, getting snap happy at photography exhibitions or admiring a quirky installation. Here’s our pick of the best free exhibitions in London…
There are so many great museums and galleries in London which means there are some incredible shows to see, from interactive exhibitions and art installations, to photography collections and immersive experiences. You can see it all without splashing the cash, whether it’s at London’s most-known galleries including the likes of Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Somerset House and the V&A, or discovering upcoming artists at independent spaces across the capital. These are the best free exhibitions to get on your radar.
The Design Museum is hosting the first museum display exploring the work of Yinka Ilori, showcasing elements of his signature colourful aesthetic and the inspirations behind it. Award-winning fashion designer Matty Bovan is taking over the NOW Gallery with an installation that involves an enormous, ceiling-height hand-knitted jumper.
Each year City of London works with artists and partners to curate a new trail of artworks that forms the annual sculpture park, Sculpture in the City. This year marks the 11th edition of the sculpture park and features the work of 20 world-class artists and spans the Square Mile, so it’s well worth a look if you’re out and about in the City. So whether you’re looking for exhibitions today, exhibitions this weekend or you want to stay on top of all upcoming art exhibitions, we’ve got you covered.
Whitechapel Gallery is going beyond the male painters usually associated with Abstract Expressionism with this exhibition that celebrates international women artists working in the movement from 1940-1970. 150 paintings from 81 women working around the world will be on display, showing that the movement and its themes of materiality, gesture, and freedom of expression had a wide geographic breadth and were also explored within specific cultural contexts like the rise of fascism in South America and the influence of communism in Eastern Europe. Pieces from the likes of Lee Krasner, Bertina Lopes, Helen Frankenthaler, and Wook-kyung Choi will be on exhibited, and it’ll be the first time that over half of the works have been shown in the UK.
The annual orchid festival is back at Kew and this year’s theme is Cameroon, the first time the festival is celebrating an African nation. You can get a little taste of Cameroon’s varied landscapes and native wildlife across the ten different climatic zones inside the Princess of Wales Conservatory. As well as an array of orchid displays, there’ll be a range of plant sculptures on show, including giraffes, gorillas, lions and hippos.
Jorat (Courage) is a six-day exhibition showcasing the works of twelve Iranian artists. Hosted by the Espacio Gallery in Brick Lane, the show has been brought together by Anahita S and Emilia S, two young Iranian women, as a demonstration of support for the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) movement in Iran and as a statement of solidarity with Iranians all over the world. Among the artists featured will be pop collagist Marziyeh Saffarian, filmmaker Saleh Kashefi, animation artist Sarah Saidan, Tehran-based painter Aliraza Elahi and Iranian-Greek architect Alexander Cyrus. Entry is £10 and there’ll also be a range of events including poetry readings and live music throughout the week.
Featuring photography from the 40s through to the 70s, Streets of New York at David Hill Gallery captures a bygone era of the Big Apple. The show exhibits the work of five masters of street photography from what is considered the art form’s ‘golden age’ – Werner Bischof, Mario Carnicelli, Harold Feinstein, Larry Fink and Marc Riboud – including some never before seen images. Taking you on a journey through some of the most distinctive periods of the 20th century, in one of the world’s most recognisable cities, Streets of New York demonstrates the importance of the street photography genre.
The Saatchi Gallery is hosting BEYOND THE STREETS LONDON, an immense street art exhibition that takes over the entire 70,000 sqft space – the first time in eight years that a show has done so. Featuring work from over 150 artists, including some big names like Goldie, Keith Haring, Guerrilla Girls, Jenny Holzer and Charlie Ahearn, the exhibition showcases a collection of original pieces, rare ephemera, photography, immersive and site-specific installations and archival fashion, with some surprises thrown in there too.
A new immersive art gallery, Lightroom, is launching with an inaugural exhibition of works by one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century, David Hockney. The dedicated four-storey space has been designed to facilitate the large-scale projections and high-tech surround sound that we’ve come to expect from such exhibitions, paired with a bar and seating area run by St John. David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) will bring together 60 years of the artist’s work in a cycle of six themed chapters, alongside a specially composed score by Nico Muhly and commentary by Hockney himself. The experience will see the likes of ‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)’, ‘A Bigger Grand Canyon’ and other iconic pieces shape a theatrical exploration of Hockney’s career, from the 60s to the present day; LA to Yorkshire to Normandy.
The Royal Academy’s first major exhibition of 2023 is an exploration of Spanish and Hispanic art and culture from the ancient world to the early 20th century. There’ll be over 150 objects on show, including masterpieces from El Greco, Goya and Velázquez, and textiles, sculptures, ceramics, jewellery and manuscripts from across Spain and Latin America.
Museum of London Docklands is exploring the importance of the city’s African and Caribbean food businesses and showing how they become spaces of heritage, culture and politics as well as somewhere to buy and sell food. This free exhibition spotlights four places and their owners – Livity Plant Based Cuisine, African Cash & Carry, Junior’s market stall and Zeret Kitchen – and includes recipes, objects, recorded stories, Instagram and TikTok cooking videos, photographs from Jonas Martinez and an original soundscape from Kayode ‘Kayodeine’ Gomez.
Marco Brambilla’s new work Heaven’s Gate is being shown for the first time in Europe at Outernet London, where it’ll be projected across 23,000 sq ft of floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree, 16K screens. A satire on pop culture and the Hollywood dream factory, the video is a collage of psychedelic, hyper-saturated images of iconic moments in cinematic history.
Luke Jerram’s touring artwork Museum of the Moon, a six-metre model featuring incredibly detailed NASA imagery of the moon with ambient moonlight and soundscape from Dan Jones, is popping up in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College. Lie back on one of the day beds and gaze up the moon suspended against the backdrop of the baroque hall.
Dali Cybernetics: The Immersive Experience, which has already been a big hit in Barcelona, will feature 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling digital projections of Dali’s surrealist masterpieces, complete with holograms, sound effects, artificial intelligence and more. You’ll also be able to enter the metaverse and step inside Dali’s artworks with a one-of-a-kind VR experience – your digital avatar will be able to explore a dreamlike space and be immersed in paintings like The Persistence of Memory (that’s the melty clock one) in a whole new way.
In the Wellcome Collection tradition of telling a history of humanity in surprising ways, their critically-acclaimed exhibition, In Plain Sight, looks at the different ways we see and are seen by others with an expansive collection of contemporary artworks and historical objects. The show explores what happens when we open ourselves up to seeing in different ways through four themes: symbolism of the eye, bias in visual perception, eyewear and identity, and the interconnection between senses. See ancient curiosities, view unusual and extravagant medical devices and experience a VR artwork that documents a writer’s loss of sight at this ambitious and interactive exhibition.
Award-winning fashion designer Matty Bovan is taking over the NOW Gallery with an installation that involves an enormous, ceiling-height hand-knitted jumper. Guests will be invited to enter the multicoloured tent-like garment and, once inside, sit on tufted rugs to watch Bovan’s experimental film RIBBONS which documents the making of the jumper. The multisensory commission encourages visitors to get lost in an alternate dream-like world, accompanied by a soundscape as well as the scents of geranium and lavender.
From the dawn of Surrealism in 1924 to the present day, the Design Museum’s Objects of Desire is exploring how the art movement has impacted design. Throughout the 20th century, Surrealist pioneers have questioned the conventional, from early adopters such as Salvador Dalí, Dora Maar, Man Ray, Leonora Carrington and Lee Miller, to contemporary artists including Schiaparelli, Dior and Björk. With Objects of Desire, the Design Museum brings together the best in Surrealist furniture, interior design, fashion, photography and world-renowned artworks to unravel the fascinating history behind them.
If the musical wasn’t enough for you, get ready to step through the screen and hop into the DeLorean itself at this dedicated Back to the Future exhibition. With an exclusive glimpse into the world of Marty McFly, Doc Brown, Nike Magnetic Anti Gravity shoes and hoverboards, the Back In Time Exhibition carries the largest collection of memorabilia from the sci-fi classic, including original items used in the production of the trilogy as well as replicas. You’ll get to browse the costumes, set pieces and concept drawings on display, sit in a certified replica of the DeLorean time machine that Universal Studios previously owned, hear about behind-the-scenes secrets through interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and more. Plus, there’ll be interactive elements and photo ops – you’ll fly a hoverboard, relax in Lou’s Cafe, have a go at performing a killer guitar solo at the school dance and activate the time machine.
A master of individual style, Paul Cezanne is being celebrated at the Tate Modern with The EY Exhibition: Cezanne. Bringing together a collection of his still lifes, landscapes and paintings of bathers (some never before presented in the UK), the show will journey through Cezanne’s life, from his youth as an artist eager for official recognition in Paris, to his relentless pursuit of a unique approach during his later years. And you can pair your visit to the exhibition with two-course lunch from the Tate’s Kitchen and Bar for £46.80 (including the price of entry).
The Science Museum’s most ambitious exhibition to date, Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination puts you at the heart of an interactive science fiction story. Starting off in the Bio Lab, explore various iconic objects that examine the human desire to journey beyond our world – including a hypersleep chamber from Prometheus, a replica of the Apollo 17 Space Suit worn by Gene Cernan and a scale model of a radio telescope – with the help of an AI Guide. Then, travel through a wormhole Jumpgate to another world full of bioluminescent creatures who interact through a hive mind. Back on the Visualisation Deck, you’ll learn about how science fiction reflects real, contemporary concerns and challenges through artworks and artefacts. And, to close, on the Observation Deck you’ll be able to view Earth from space through a huge window. Ever wanted to jet off into space? This is the next best thing.
Punks, witches, subversive icons and ghostly figures will be haunting Somerset House, and just in time for Halloween, as The Horror Show! looks back over 50 years of British counter-culture. The landmark exhibition will explore the UK’s alternative history in three acts – Monster, Ghost and Witch – using horror archetypes to examine defining eras and make sense of the uncanny. The collection will bring together over 200 artworks by key players and culturally significant objects from the past five decades. Featured artists are set to include Jamie Reid, Pam Hogg, Leigh Bowery, Noel Fielding, Derek Jarman, Harminder Judge, Zadie Xa and Tai Shani, among many others.
The 58th Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is being hosted at the Natural History Museum. The display features awarded images selected from over 50,000 entries and it showcases the beauty and diversity of the natural world, with everything from right whales in New Zealand to disappearing giraffes in Kenya to Russian polar bears depicted in the photographs.
Seeing Auschwitz, an exhibition created by Musealia and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, is going on show in London, with over 100 images taken by perpetrators, victims and liberators on display. The exhibition is designed to highlight the horrors of what happened at Auschwitz as well as the humanity of the people who did there, and it explores both the photographic evidence of the camp and the construction of the collective memory of it, with audio guides including testimonies from survivors. Part of the revenue from the tickets will be donated to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland to help their efforts in preserving the site.
The Design Museum is hosting the first museum display exploring the work of Yinka Ilori. The exhibition will showcase elements of his signature colourful aesthetic and the inspirations behind it, including the cultural diversity of the North London diaspora community where he grew up. Over 100 objects, from artworks and photographs to textiles and furniture will be on display, including his LEGO Launderette of Dreams and his multi-coloured pedestrian crossings.
The V&A’s new exhibition looks at the phenomenon known as ‘hallyu’, meaning ‘Korean wave’, referring to the vast impact of Korean culture on the rest of the world. Since the term was coined in the 90s, Korean cinema, media, music and fandoms have spread like wildfire to global reach, and now the V&A invites guests to dive into the hallyu-niverse. Through a collection of K-Pop costumes, K-drama props and posters (including a recreation of the basement bathroom in Parasite) photography, sculpture, fashion, video and pop culture ephemera, Hallyu! The Korean Wave will explore the country’s history prior to the 90s, and each aspect of the wave that came next.
The V&A is hosting a major exhibition on African fashion, the first in the museum’s history, spanning from the 1950s to contemporary designers and including garments, textiles, photography, sketches, film and music. Africa Fashion celebrates the diversity of fashion from across the continent by exploring the roleit played during the years of African independence and liberation; the importance of indigenous cloths in many African countries; the work of designers like Shade Thomas-Fahm, Chris Seydou, and Alphadi; photography from the likes of Sanlé Sory, Michel Papami Kameni and Rachidi Bissiriou; and cutting-edge African fashion, with pieces from Moshions, IAMISIGO, NKWO and Thebe Magugu on display.
Each year City of London works with artists and partners to curate a new trail of artworks that forms the annual sculpture park, Sculpture in the City. This summer marks the 11th edition of the sculpture park and features the work of 20 world-class artists and spans the Square Mile. Walking the trail you’ll spot some works easily, for example Jesse Pollock’s The Granary is a large and very striking life-sized model of a traditional grain store, which speaks to the crises currently affecting British rural life. Others are more subtle and will take a closer look to find, like Oliver Bragg’s In Loving Memory, a bench plaque that reads “In loving memory of a loving memory”. The nature of the sculpture park means that it’s 100% free and open 24/7, so you can stroll up and view the art any time you like.
ASMR (aka Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response or that tingly sensation that makes you feel good) is jumping from online to IRL with this exhibition at the Design Museum. 40 audio, visual and tactile works will be on show, including episodes of The Joy of Painting by Bob Ross, a prototype of artificial skin for a mobile device, installations that recreate the sounds of snow crunching underfoot and coins dropping into a well, ASMR videos of Japanese barbershops and Korean dog-grooming salons, and a continuous pillow structure were you can watch and listen to a range of audio-visual works.
Pip & Pop, aka Aussie artist Tanya Schultz, is immersing people in her candy-coloured world with When Flowers Dream at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew Gardens. The exhibition explores themes of abundance, consumption and a food utopia though sculptural pieces, a technicolour installation inspired by imaginary worlds and featuring foods identified as underutilised species, and botanical paintings from Kew’s archive.
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience has been a hit in the States in the US and Europe and now it’s come to Spitalfields. The exhibition sees more than 300 of Van Gogh’s works projected across a floor-to-ceiling two-storey space so you’ll be able to soak up the art from all angles. There’s also be a drawing studio and a VR experience that takes you through a day in the life of the artist and explores the inspiration behind some of his most iconic paintings.
GET TICKETSAfter her pumpkin-filled Infinity Room caused lengthy queues at the Victoria Miro gallery in 2016, Yayoi Kusama returns with another major exhibition, this time at the Tate Modern. Two of her installations – the large Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life and Chandelier of Grief, which gives the illusion of endless rotating chandeliers – this year. The rooms will be presented alongside a small collection of photographs, some of which will be going on display for the very first time.
We’re no strangers to immersive art experiences in London but Frameless is taking things to a whole new level. It’s the capital’s first permanent digital art experience, featuring some of the world’s most iconic artworks spread across the walls, floors and ceilings of a 30,000 sq ft space. You can get up close and personal with over 40 works from 28 artists, including the likes of Klimt, Munch, Kandinsky, Monet, Rembrandt, Dali, Cezanne and van Gogh. The Frameless experience is spread across four different themed galleries – Beyond Reality, Colour In Motion, The World Around Us and The Art Of Abstraction – with bespoke musical scores accompanying the displays.
Dive into a world of illusions and discover the science behind how they work at Twist Museum. Created in collaboration with experts from the worlds of art, psychology and neuroscience, Twist blends immersive multi-sensory experiences with education and technology to help you understand what happens to the brain when your senses are deceived and how different stimuli shape your sense of reality. There are over 60 exhibits inside, including the Ames Room, which creates the feeling of shrinking; the Life Without Colour Room, where you can experience a world without colour; the Sound Lab, where you can unlock the extrasensory power of your ears; and the Kaleidoscope Room, which reacts and refracts to your presence.