Art exhibitions closing in London in January 2024
Whether you're hurrying back to the city in January to catch last year's exhibitions before they bid farewell, or you've had a busy Christmas and missed the chance to see the art you had your eye on, or perhaps you're visiting London in January (welcome!), we've got you covered. Dive into our comprehensive round-up of art exhibitions that will be closing their doors in January.
Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine
The Hayward Gallery presents Time Machine by Hiroshi Sugimoto, a retrospective spanning 50 years of the artist's work. Sugimoto's enigmatic photos explore time, memory, and photography's essence, blurring reality and imagination. The exhibit features key pieces from his series, revealing his philosophical inquiries and manipulation of 19th-century photography concepts.
Date: 1 October 2023 – 7 January 2024. Location: Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Price: from £18. Concessions available.Book now.
Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, The Chamber of Horrors series. Gelatin silver print. Photo by Mark Blower. Courtesy the artist and the Hayward Gallery.
Rubens & Women
Rubens & Women at the Dulwich Picture Gallery is an exhibition challenging the misconception that artist Peter Paul Rubens depicted only one archetype of woman. Showcasing over 40 artworks, the exhibit explores the varied roles women played in Rubens's life and art, portraying them as patrons, family members, religious inspirations, and personal connections. Noteworthy pieces include portraits of influential women, depictions of his wives and daughter, and artworks that delicately blend depth and tenderness in portraying both biblical and real women. This exhibition offers a recontextualization of Rubens's legacy and sheds light on the diverse influences and representations of women in his body of work.
Date: 27 September 2023 – 28 January 2024. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD. Price: Adults £16.50 with donation. Concessions available. Book now.
Heecheon Kim:Double Poser
The first UK exhibit of Heecheon Kim, a South Korean artist and filmmaker, explores how technology shapes our perceptions. Kim blends virtual and physical realms in his video works, challenging our reliance on advanced tech. Using tools like GPS and augmented reality, he questions how we interpret identity and daily life in digital spaces. The exhibition includes a new commission using a game engine, inspired by Hayward Gallery's architecture, merging computer-generated imagery and video game aesthetics.
Date: 1 December 2023 – 7 January 2024. Location: HENI Project Space, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX. Website: southbankcentre.co.uk.
Kim Heecheon, Deep in the forking Tanks (2019), courtesy of the artist.
The Missing Thread
At Somerset House, explore The Missing Thread by BOLD, unveiling the impactful story of Black British fashion from the '70s to today. This showcase reveals Black creativity's profound influence on mainstream fashion, blending style, music, art, and design. Across four themes—home, tailoring, performance, and nightlife—the exhibition places Black British fashion in its socio-political context, highlighting its significant societal impact. Honoring designer Joe Casely-Hayford's legacy and spotlighting contemporary Black designers, the exhibit celebrates their transformative impact on British fashion.
Date: 21 September 2023 - 7 January 2024. Location: Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA. Price: from £12.50. Concessions available. Book now.
Eileen Perrier, Untitled 1, Afro Hair and Beauty, 1998 © Eileen Perrier.
Claudette Johnson: Presence
The Courtauld Gallery showcases Presence, a major exhibition celebrating the groundbreaking artwork of British artist Claudette Johnson, a leading figure in the Black British Arts Movement. Known for her poignant figurative drawings of Black individuals, the showcase features a spectrum of her works, spanning from early creations to her latest pieces. Johnson's art profoundly explores themes of Black identity and presence, delivering intimate yet commanding portrayals. Curated by Dorothy Price, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art and Critical Race Art History at The Courtauld, the exhibition offers a significant dive into Johnson's career and artistic trajectory, accompanied by an extensive catalogue.
Date: 29 September 2023 – 14 January 2024. Location: The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. Price: from £13. Concessions available. Book now.
Frans Hals. Banquet of the Officers of the St George Civic Guard, 1627. Oil on canvas, 179 × 257.5 cm. © Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem.
The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Frans Hals
The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Frans Hals at the National Gallery marks the largest Frans Hals exhibition in over thirty years.Co-curated with Rijksmuseum and Gemäldegalerie, it unveils about fifty of Hals' masterpieces from global collections, including the famed The Laughing Cavalier from the Wallace Collection.The exhibition follows Hals's evolution through chronological sections.
Date: 30 September 2023 – 21 January 2024 Location: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN Price: from £20. Concessions available. Book now.
Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas
Tate Britain hosts an all-encompassing journey through the celebrated career of Sarah Lucas. Renowned for her audacious exploration of the human form, sexuality, and societal narratives, the exhibition proudly showcases a collection of over 75 artworks that span four prolific decades, including intriguing new creations.
Date: 28 September 2023 – 14 January 2024. Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG Price: from £17. Concession available. Book now.
Sarah Lucas, Bunny 1997. Private collection. © Sarah Lucas.
Georg Baselitz: Sculptures 2011 - 2015
The Serpentine Gallery hosts Georg Baselitz's solo exhibition, showcasing sculptures and drawings. It features the UK debut of his monumental Zero Dom sculpture, exploring the body's fragility through physical artistic processes.The exhibition highlights previously unseen wooden sculptures and related drawings, offering insights into his multidimensional approach to art.
Date: 5 October 2023 – 7 January 2024. Location: Serpentine South Gallery, London W8 4PU.Price: Free. Website: serpentinegalleries.org.
RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology
RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology at Barbican Art Gallery examines the link between gender and ecology through artworks by 50 global artists. It highlights the connection between women's oppression and environmental damage, emphasising marginalised communities. The exhibition advocates creative protest and care amid ecological challenges. It reframes gender-environment discussions, addressing extractive capitalism's impact and promoting empowerment.
Date: 5 October 2023 – 14 January 2024. Location: Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £16. Concessions available. Book now.
Installation view of UVA Synchronicity at 180 The Strand. Polyphony, UVA, 2023. Commissioned by 180 Studios. Photo by Jack Hems.
UVA: Synchronicity
London-based collective United Visual Artists (UVA) commemorates their 20th anniversary with UVA: Synchronicity, an immersive exhibit exploring human perception of reality. It features collaborations, including a piece with bio-acoustician Bernie Krause. UVA's innovative approach combines light, sound, and technology to transform spaces and challenge conventional thinking.
Date: 12 October – 28 January 2024. Location: 180 Studios, 180 The Strand, London, WC2R 1EA. Price: from £20. Concessions available. Book now.
Miranda Forrester: Arrival
Miranda Forrester's debut solo exhibition, Arrival, at Tiwani Contemporary's new Cork Street space, delves into the intimate journey of queer parenthood. Through her paintings, Forrester explores the challenges, joys, and insecurities of becoming a non-gestational mother within a same-sex partnership. Her art challenges societal norms and celebrates the profoundness of motherhood while redefining traditional perceptions.
Date: 23 November 2023 - 6 January 2024. Location: Twani Contemporary, 24 Cork Street, W1S 3NG. Price: Free.
The Song of Psyche: Corners of a Soul's Otherworlds
The Song of Psyche is a unique collaboration between two artists who explore the connection between the physical and the subconscious. Edward Bekkerman condenses forms into symbols, portraying the twists of the human mind, while Nicola Turner's ambiguous figures have a dark, corporeal presence. Together, they create realms where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Turner, known for site-specific interventions, presents new work interacting with the gallery space, while this marks Bekkerman's debut exhibition in the UK.
Date: 25 November 2023 - 12 January 2024. Location: Shtager&Shch, 51-53 Margaret Street, W1W 8SQ. Price: Free. Website: shtager-shch.com.
Nicola Turner. Klipp and Klapp. Mixed media inc steel, wool and recycled polyamide, 114x40x47 cm.
David Hockney: Drawing from Life
The National Portrait Gallery has reopened 'David Hockney: Drawing from Life,' spotlighting his six-decade career with intimate portraits of five subjects. Hockney explores diverse mediums, showcasing over thirty new 2021-2022 portraits taken at his Normandy studio.The exhibition was was staged for just 20 days before the Gallery's closure due to Covid in March 2020.
Date: 2 November 2023 - 21 January 2024. Location: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE. Price: from £21/ £23.50. Book now.
In House: Bamidele Awoyemi and Adia Wahid
In House: Bamidele Awoyemi and Adia Wahid is the first in a series of duo exhibitions organised for Studio Voltaire's artists and tenants. The exhibition focuses on patterns in their practices, exploring the way patterns convey meaning in our everyday lives. Both artists use patterns to create dialogues, drawing connections between various symbols and motifs. Bamidele Awoyemi engages with storytelling techniques to gain insights into our cultures and rituals, while Adia Wahid's work explores the complex interplay of time and cultural influences through layered diagrams. Their art reveals how patterns can replace words and visually convey meaning.
Date: 8 November 2023 – 14 January 2024. Location: Studio Voltaire, 1a Nelsons Row, London, SW4 7JR. Price: Free.
Antony Gormley Body Politics. Photo by MTotoe.
Antony Gormley: Body Politic
Antony Gormley's Body Politic exhibition delves into our relationship with the industrially constructed world. This exploration takes place at a crucial juncture, where our need for refuge intersects with our inherent migratory nature. Across five new bodies of work, Gormley examines the balance between sanctuary and control, freedom and discipline. He uses the language of sculpture to emphasise silence, stillness, and materiality, prompting viewers to reflect on their own freedoms of movement and thought.
Date: 22 November 2023 - 28 January 2024. Location: White Cube, Bermondsey, 144-152 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3TQ. Price: Free.
Solomon Garçon: Arms
Solomon Garçon's new UK exhibition at Studio Voltaire combines sound, sculpture, and performance. Garçon explores the 'digital' and the 'underground,' creating narratives and simulations of imaginative spaces. His work plays with scale, materiality, and sound, drawing inspiration from shape-shifting figures in reality TV and horror genres. Visitors encounter enigmatic sculptures hidden under shrouds, evoking questions of protection and latent violence. Chairs represent absent or potential onlookers, and reverb techniques explore the 'territorial.'
Date: 4 October 2023 –14 January 2024. Location: Studio Voltaire, 1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR. Price: Free. Website: studiovoltaire.org.
Solomon Garçon: Arms at Studio Voltaire. Photo by MTotoe.
The Winter Show
Orleans House Gallery will host their annual Winter Show presenting the creative output of over 45 local artists from Richmond. Showcasing original works for sale, exclusively crafted within the borough, this exhibition celebrates the diverse visual arts community thriving in Richmond. From landscapes to portraits, abstract pieces, ceramics, and bronze creations, the selected artists offer a wide spectrum of artistic expression. Nestled within serene gardens and woods, the gallery invites all visitors to explore this vibrant showcase while enjoying the on-site café's delightful beverages and food.
Date: 2 December 2023 – 28 January 2024. Location: Orleans House Gallery, Riverside, TW1 3DJ. Price: Free. Website: orleanshousegallery.org.
Vincenzo de Cotiis: Archaeology of Consciousness
Renowned artist Vincenzo De Cotiis challenges traditional archway symbolism in Archaeology of Consciousness at Carpenters Workshop Gallery London. Using unique materials like rare stones, recycled fibreglass, and Murano glass, he reimagines archways as gateways to fresh perspectives and ancestral transitions.
Date: 11 October 2023 - 13 January 2024. Location: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road W10. Price: Free.
Christine Kowal Post at 'If Not Now, When? Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960-2023'. Photo by MTotoe.
If Not Now, When? Generations of Women in Sculpture in Britain, 1960 – 2023
If Not Now, When? celebrates the artistic contributions of 29 female sculptors from the 1960s to the present. This exhibition highlights the resilience of women in male-dominated fields, showcasing renowned sculptors and rediscovering underrepresented artists. Divided into three chapters, it explores the theme of time, women's roles, and societal issues, culminating in a message of hope and change. This exhibition is seen as a crucial step in recognising and celebrating women's impact on the world of sculpture.
Date: 15 November - 22 January 2024. Location: Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY. Price: from £10. Concessions available. Book now.
Armet Francis: Beyond The Black Triangle
Armet Francis, a Jamaican-British photographer, has spent over 40 years documenting the resilience of the African diaspora. His work, guided by 'The Black Triangle,' captures diverse Black experiences worldwide, from joyful Brixton Market scenes to critical portraits of Empire Windrush travellers. Autograph, marking 35 years, honours Francis with this exhibition celebrating his impact on British history through photography.
Date: until 20 January 2024. Location: Autograph, Rivington Place, London EC2A 3BA. Price: Free. Website: autograph.org.uk.
Fashion Shoot, Brixton Market, London 1973. Armet Francis.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless
As part of its Season of Sculpture, the Saatchi Gallery is showcasing the largest retrospective of the renowned artist duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude ever in the UK. Titled Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless, this exhibition traces their artistic journey across six decades, featuring iconic projects such as the ‘Wrapped Coast’ in Australia and ‘The Gates’ in Central Park, New York City. It marks the final exhibition Christo signed off on before his passing.
Date: 15 November 2023 - 22 January 2024. Location: Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, London, SW3 4RY. Price: from £12. Book now.
Seeing Things by Gareth Mason at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Photo by MTotoe.
Gareth Mason: Seeing Things
Carpenters Workshop Gallery is hosting the first UK solo exhibition in over a decade by renowned British ceramicist Gareth Mason. His distinctive clay works, which incorporate foreign objects, challenge porcelain's traditional elegance while embracing clay's unique and universal qualities.
Date: 11 October - 18 January 2024. Location: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road W10. Price: Free. Website: carpentersworkshopgallery.com.
What Happened by Nicole Eisenman at Whitechapel Gallery until 14 January 2024.
Nicole Eisenman: What Happened
Nicole Eisenman: What Happened is a comprehensive showcase of over 100 artworks spanning three decades of the artist's career. The exhibition, featuring previously unseen pieces in the UK, includes monumental paintings, sculptures, monoprints, animations, and drawings, highlighting Eisenman's diverse and inventive artistic style. Organised chronologically into eight sections, the display reveals Eisenman's critical and often humorous exploration of contemporary socio-political issues, such as gender, identity, political turmoil in the US, activism, and the influence of technology on relationships.
Date:11 October 2023 - 14 January 2024. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. Price: from £9.50. Concessions available. Book now.
Lucy Stein: La Muñeca
Lucy Stein’s exhibition, La Muñeca, heralds her return to London after nearly a decade, showcasing her multidisciplinary artistic approach rooted in psychoanalysis, feminist theory, and personal narratives. The title, meaning 'doll' and 'wrist' in Spanish, encapsulates the intricate interplay between process and imagery in her paintings, drawing from her Spanish childhood and exploration of feminine archetypes. Stein delves into diverse themes, from Lilith’s portrayal representing the complexities of womanhood to references like da Vinci’s Head of St Anne. Her poignant paintings, featuring a 1950s nurse doll linked to her psychic grandmother and floral elements inspired by Walter Crane, evoke childhood nostalgia and societal reflections, intertwining emotions of guilt, complicity, pleasure, and rage. Through these motifs, Stein weaves a resonant exploration of unconscious narratives and societal reflections within her haunting artworks.
Date: 23 November 2023 – 20 January 2024. Location: Hales Gallery,Tea Building, 7 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6LA. Price: Free. Website: halesgallery.com.
La Muñeca by Lucy Stein at Hales Gallery, Shoreditch until 20 January 2024.
Idris Khan & Annie Morris: When Loss Makes Melodies
Idris Khan and Annie Morris, a creative duo, showcase their joint exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, exploring emotion, time, and memory. The display includes over thirty diverse works, illustrating how their practices influence each other. Curated by Maya Binkin, the exhibition aligns contemporary creativity with the neo-classical setting.
Date: 4 October 2023 – 7 January 2024. Location: Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, Ealing Green, London W5 5EQ. Price: from £9. Concessions available. Book now.
