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YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE
You wouldn’t want to miss having pint at one of the tables Charles Dickens sat centuries ago, would you? Rebuilt after the great fire in 1666, the pub is one of the oldest in London. With low lighting, wooden walls and a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, one step inside really does feel like you’ve turned the clock right back. It’s defo one for the tourists but every Londoner should drink in here at least once in their lives.
THE HOLY TAVERN
What was the Jerusalem Tavern, with St Peter’s Brewery beers on the bar, is now the Holy Tavern, and whilst the name and ownership may have changed, the atmosphere hasn’t. It’s still one to fight for space inside but it remains a beauty with rooms dating back to the 18th century, and they now do some nights with candelight only, so there’s plenty of old pub charm.
THE FRENCH HOUSE
The French House is our favourite place in Soho, if not London, for meeting new, random, weird and wonderful people. It’s a Soho institution with an incredible history, having opened in 1891. Inside the interiors are typical of an old school pub with lots of wood and dark brown – it doesn’t look like the interiors have been touched since the 70s and don’t even think about asking for a cocktail. This place serves draft in half pints, classic spirits and mixers and some dodgy wine. If the weather allows, grab a drink at the bar, stand outside and be entertained by the Soho crowds.
To honour the centenary of women’s suffrage, SHOWstudio is hosting a fashion illustration exhibition that features images of 100 models, including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner, Andrej Pejic, Devon Aoki, Slick Woods, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Iman and Karlie Kloss, in an outfit they wore that made them feel most empowered.
MODERN COUPLES | ART, INTIMACY AND THE AVANT-GARDE
The Barbican is showcasing the creative collections of over 40 artistic couples, from Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar to Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo. Modern Couples exhibition features work from iconic duos of painters, sculptors, photographers, architects, designers, musicians and performers, alongside personal material that defined their relationships. A true collab of modern art and modern love.
For their big winter exhibition, Somerset House is celebrating the cultural legacy of Peanuts, showcasing contemporary works inspired by Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang, alongside original drawings from creator Charles M. Schulz. As one of the world’s most influential comic strips, the exhibition explores the lasting social and political impact of one of our favourite cartoons.
ELMGREEN & DRAGSET | THIS IS HOW WE BITE OUR TONGUE
Scandi duo Elmgreen & Dragset, who are known for exploring social politics and power structures through their sculptures and large-scale installations have taken over the Whitechapel Gallery with works from across their 20+ year collaboration. As well as pieces that reference masculinity and identity, the specially commissioned ‘Whitechapel Pool’ – an actual, full-size abandoned swimming pool – is a comment on the loss of civic space.
HOOKED is the inaugural exhibition at the new Science Gallery London and it’s all about exploring the processes of addiction and recovery. Covering everything from drugs to technology to gambling, the exhibition features artworks, installations and interactive experiences that are designed to challenge our notion of addiction and show us the many different forms recovery can take.
BLACK MIRROR | ART AS SOCIAL SATIRE
No it’s nothing to do with Charlie Brooker, this Black Mirror is an exhibition that explores how political uncertainty has influenced art and how art has become a tool for social satire. The show features everything from collage to photography to installation, with the work of 26 international artists including Jessica Craig-Martin, Richard Billingham and Alejandra Prieto on display.
The famous Body Worlds exhibition, created by Dr Gunther von Hagens and featuring real body parts preserved with plastination, is on display in Piccadilly. The 200 exhibits cover the reproductive, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, locomotive and metabolic systems in an insane amount of detail, so if you want to get a true insight into what happens inside the human body, this is place to come.
Christian Marclay’s acclaimed piece The Clock is back. Marclay’s installation is 24 hours long and is made up of a collection of clips and images from film and television featuring clocks, with each face shown corresponding to the actual time. The gallery will be open during the day with one nightly opening each month for a full 24 hour viewing.
This year the Artist Rooms at the Tate are dedicated to Jenny Holzer, with works from across her 40-year career on display. She’s known for her text-based works and pieces from her Truisms and Diagrams series as well as her Redaction Paintings and LED installations. A painting created with NY graffiti artist Lady Pink will also be on display for the first time in the UK. Entry to the rooms is free and it’s gonna be open for a year, so it’s defo one to pop into next time your in the Tate.
MAGIC REALISM | ART IN WEIMAR GERMANY 1919-33
To coincide with the anniversary of the end of WWI, the Tate is hosting a year-long (and FREE) exhibition of art from Weimar Germany, where expressionism gave way to more unsettling and emotional imagery. Works by the likes of Otto Dix, George Grosz, Albert Birkle and Jeanne Mammen will be on display and a lot of the pieces included aren’t normally on public display so it’s one not to miss…luckily you’ve got plenty of time to see it.