Exhibitions I want to see
Things for you to bookmark
I have a long list of exhibitions to visit for the rest of the year. Since buying an Art Fund National Art Pass, I’ve been making sure to get my money’s worth. Thought I’d share things I’m planning to see. Maybe it’ll pique your interest, or we could even chat about how you found it if you go!
Charlotte Johnson Wahl: What it Felt like, Bethlem Museum of The Mind (on until 29th March)
Charlotte Johnson-Wahl spent time as a patient at the Bethlem Museum, and much of the art on display in this exhibition was produced during her time there. Her art encompasses her experiences and challenges with her mental health. I learnt about the exhibition after reading this article written by her sister. It wasn’t until the end when the penny dropped, and I realised she was also Boris Johnson’s mum!?
Picasso: Printmaker, The British Museum (on until 30th March)
Picasso is most famously known for his paintings, so I was intrigued by an exhibition exploring his printmaking. The British Museum promises to offer insights into his “complex relationships” with women. In light of Marina Picasso’s memoir, My Grandfather, detailing her estrangement, and as we have more frequent conversations on whether or not we can separate the art from the artist, I’m intrigued to see the extent to which the exhibition weaves in his personal life.
Anthony McCall: Solid Light, Tate Modern (on until 27th April)
An immersive exhibition where “your movements and interactions bring artworks to life”. Anthony McCall is best known for his innovative installations using light. I know little else, and this is one I’d prefer to go into without expectations.
The 80s: Photographing Britain, Tate Britain (on until 5th May)
Admittedly, photography exhibitions aren’t usually my favourite. I have a preference for paintings. But, and it’s a big but, if the collection or theme is executed perfectly, I enjoy photography a lot. I have high hopes for this exhibition. There is an emphasis on how photography was used in the 80s, specifically as a tool for social change during the ‘turbulent Thatcher years’ of miner strikes, the AIDs pandemic and race riots.
Linder: Danger Came Smiling, Hayward Gallery (on until 5th May)
Playful photomontages compromise this exhibition. After studying the Pop Art movement in Art History, and getting captivated by Richard Hamilton’s early contributions, photomontages have a certain appeal for me. The history of photomontage is embedded in political commentary, and Linder’s work challenging societal ideas on gender and sexuality is no exception.
Women & Freud: Patients, Pioneers, Artists, Freud Museum (on until 5th May)
Women had an important role to play in the development of Freud’s work in psychoanalysis. This exhibition attempts to ‘bring to life the many women who featured in Freud’s history’. In alignment with the book Freud’s Women by Lisa Appignanesi and John Forrester, images, film footage, and artworks will be used to challenge perspectives on Freud’s “hysterical” female acquaintances.
Goya to Impressionism, The Courtauld Gallery (on until 26th May)
I was so upset that I missed out on tickets for Monet and London: Views of the Thames. I kept checking for more tickets to be released, but nada. The Courtauld has an amazing permanent collection, with works from Manet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh. Now, with a temporary exhibition of works from the The Oskar Reinhart Collection, I’d like to pay a visit.
Electric Dreams, Tate Modern (on until 1st June)
For many, a pre-internet world is an unfathomable one. This exhibition considers the relationship between art and technology with works from those who ‘pioneered a new era of immersive sensory installations and automatically-generated works’. Dubbed ‘vintage tech art’, the display is a welcomed juxtaposition of how artists can work in tandem with tech, as opposed to relying on it entirely in the form of AI-generated pieces.
Astronomy Photographer Of The Year, National Maritime Museum (on until July)
I only learnt of the Astronomy Photographer Of The Year exhibition this year! I love going to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year at The Natural History Museum (on until 29th June). It’s so educational and confronting, with information provided about endangered species and the increasing impact of climate change on animals and their habitats. I’m hoping for the same wonderment I’ve had from photos of space NASA has released in the past.
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style, The Design Museum (on until 17th August)
Last and by no means least - it’s one I am very much looking forward to - Splash! Has over 200 objects ‘exploring swimming’s evolution in social, cultural, technological and environmental contexts’. From Pamela Anderson to Olympic medalists, the exhibition looks at how our relationship with water evolved from bathing to swimming and the role it now plays in modern life.
