What’s on in London this week: 2- 8 June 2025
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 2- 8 June 2025
London Deisgn Biennale
With over 50 countries, cities, and territories exhibiting, the 2025 edition of the London Design Biennale takes on the theme “Surface Reflections”. This cross-cultural event is a must-see for anyone interested in design thinking, innovation, and future-focused creativity. Explore striking installations, thought-provoking design interventions, and global responses to sustainability, technology, and equity in design. Somerset House’s historic courtyard and galleries will be transformed into immersive, interactive spaces—featuring everything from the role of AI in shaping our public environments to the use of indigenous materials and ecological storytelling.
Date: 5–29 June 2025. Location:Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Price: from £22. Concessions available. Book now
Turkey, 'Emotional. Reflections: The Soul of Seven Horizons' © Halise Karakay
London Festival of Architecture 2025
The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) 2025 has kicked off this week, embracing the theme “Voices,” which spotlights the diverse perspectives that shape our built environment. With over 450 events across the city—including exhibitions, walking tours, installations, and workshops—this year’s programme amplifies underrepresented voices, fosters community-led initiatives, and encourages public participation in reimagining the city.
Click here for our guide to what to do and see at the London Festival of Architecture 2025.
Date: 1 - 30 June 2025. londonfestivalofarchitecture.org
Serpentine Pavilion 2025: Marina Tabassum: A Capsule in Time
This year’s Serpentine Pavilion, designed by acclaimed Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum, opens this week. Titled A Capsule in Time, the meditative structure reflects on temporality, cultural memory, and the climate crisis. Built using modular components and sustainable materials, it functions as both a poetic architectural form and a welcoming gathering space. Throughout the summer, the pavilion will host architecture talks, performances, and workshops, becoming a dynamic platform for global dialogue and exchange.
Date: 6 June – 26 October 2025. Location: Kensington Gardens, London, W2 3XA. Price: Free. serpentinegalleries.org
Serpentine Pavilion 2025 designed by Marina Tabassum, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA). Design render, exterior view. Photo © Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA) Courtesy: Serpentine.
WOW!house 2025
WOW!house 2025 opens this week at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour in London. The exhibition features 22 full-size rooms and outdoor spaces, each created by leading interior designers in collaboration with prestigious brands. Highlights this year include spaces by Kelly Hoppen CBE, Tomèf Design, Ben Pentreath Studio, Emma Sims-Hilditch, 1508 London, and Alessandra Branca, among others. Visitors can explore a wide range of beautifully curated environments, from living rooms and kitchens to gardens and libraries. The event also includes talks and guided tours that offer deeper insight into each designer’s creative process.
Date: 3 June - 3 July 2025. Location: Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, Lots Road, London SW10 0XE. Price: from £25. Concessions available. dcch.co.uk.
London Open Gardens 2025
This weekend, London Open Gardens unlocks hidden green sanctuaries usually closed to the public. Discover rooftop gardens, historical squares, private estates, and contemporary ecological havens. Expect guided walks, plant sales, talks by horticulturists, and live music. It’s a unique peek into the capital’s green heart.
Date: 7–8 June 2025. Location: Over 100 private and rarely seen gardens across London. Price: £24 (weekend pass) + £2.40 booking fee. londongardenstrust.org
London Open Gardens opens this weekend. Image credit Viktor Danov
London Gallery Weekend
Now in its fifth year, London Gallery Weekend (LGW) is a city-wide celebration of contemporary art and one of the most accessible art events in Europe. Over 125 galleries participate across three major zones—Central, South, and East London—each with its own day of spotlighted programming. The weekend offers open exhibitions, guided Curated Routes, and over 60 free public events including artist talks, performances, and workshops.
Date: 6 – 8 June 2025. Location: Across 125 participating galleries in Central, South, and East London. Price: Free entry to all exhibitions and events.londongalleryweekend.co.uk
Chineke! Orchestra: Marsalis' Fiddler's Tale
Chineke! Orchestra: Marsalis’ Fiddler’s Tale presents Wynton Marsalis’ vibrant jazz reinterpretation of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. In this contemporary version, a jazz fiddler grapples with the temptation of fame in a Faustian bargain, exploring themes of integrity, sacrifice, and artistic identity. Performed by the Chineke! Chamber Ensemble with narration by Josie d’Arby and conducted by Matthew Lynch, this gripping musical drama combines jazz, blues, and classical influences. Marsalis’ eight-movement suite blends evocative storytelling with genre-defying music, creating a powerful and accessible parable for modern audiences.
Date: 5 June 2025. Duration: Approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes. Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Price: From £17 (plus £3.50 booking fee). Book now
Sada (Echo): Music from Palestine
Part of the Shubbak Festival, Sada (Echo) is a powerful musical journey that amplifies the voices of Palestine through a diverse lineup of artists. Featuring DAM’s hard-hitting hip-hop, Rola Azar’s stirring folk, Dana Salah’s electrifying fusion of Arabic folklore and global sounds, and Sama’ Abdulhadi’s fierce electronic beats, the evening celebrates resilience, heritage, and cultural identity. The night closes with high-energy DJ sets by Sama’ Abdulhadi and DJ YA Z AN, offering a vibrant finale to an unforgettable showcase of resistance through sound.
Date: 6 Jun 2025. Time: 7.30pm. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £20 - £45. Book now.
Bogancloch, dir. Ben Rivers, UK/Germany/Iceland 2024, 86 min.
Cinema
Bogancloch
Bogancloch, showing at the ICA this week, follows hermit Jake Williams living in seclusion in the Scottish Highlands. A meditative sequel to Two Years at Sea, the film observes his solitary life through the seasons, occasionally disrupted by brief human contact. Centred around a poetic song—an abstract argument between life and death—it unfolds without narration, inviting viewers into a quietly shifting world of fleeting, contemplative moments.
Date: Until 12 June 2025. Location: Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH. Price: from £14. Concessions available. Book now.
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Dan Guthrie: Empty Alcove / Rotting Figure
Dan Guthrie’s Empty Alcove / Rotting Figure at Chisenhale Gallery examines misrepresentations of Black British identity in rural settings, centred on the controversial Blackboy Clock in Stroud. The exhibition features two new videos and introduces the concept of ‘radical un-conservation’.
Date: 6 June-17 August 2025. Location: 64 Chisenhale Road, London, E3 5QZ. Price: Free. chisenhale.org.uk.
Milly Thompson: My Body Temperature is Feeling Good
Milly Thompson’s My Body Temperature is Feeling Good at Goldsmiths CCA presents paintings, videos, and publications that confront middle age, female sensuality, and consumer culture with wit, irony, and bold visual language.
Date: 5 June- 24 August 2025. Location: Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, St James's, London SE14 6AD. Price: Free. gold.ac.uk
Milly Thompson, Deep Vogueing, 2020, acrylic, gouache and permanent ink on canvas, 284x200cm
Anderson Borba: Secret Ceremony
Anderson Borba’s Secret Ceremony at The Approach features sculptures and collages that push the expressive limits of wood, combining handcraft and digital processes to create ambiguous, bodily forms between image and object.
Date: 5 June -26 July 2025. Location: The approach 1st Floor, 47 Approach Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9LY. Price: Free. theapproach.co.uk
London Open Live
London Open Live at Whitechapel Gallery reinvigorates its historic open call with a focus on live performance, responding to the challenges faced by artists post-pandemic through an expansive programme of works, talks, and screenings.
Click here to discover more about the programme of events.
Date: 4 June - 7 September 2025. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX.
Roshana Rubin Mayhew, Film still from performance of 445, hold, 2022, Performed at Southwark Park Galleries, Video: Sophie Chapman
Artist Talk
Joe McPhee/John Edwards in Conversation with Richard Williams
This weekend, legendary multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee and acclaimed double bassist John Edwards come together for a powerful live duo performance, followed by an in-depth conversation between McPhee and renowned journalist Richard Williams. Though both artists have collaborated for decades, their official duo debuted in 2019 at Austria’s Artacts Festival, creating a performance so emotionally charged it moved audiences to tears. Alongside their musical set, the event features a discussion of McPhee’s newly published biography, Straight Up, Without Wings: The Musical Flight of Joe McPhee, offering a rare glimpse into his 60-year journey through the world of free and creative jazz.
Date: 6 June 2025. Location: Cafe OTO, 18–22 Ashwin street, Dalston, London, E8 3DL. Price: from £20 / £18 advance / £12 members. Book now.
Joe McPhee. Image credit Corinne Studer
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Free event of the week
V&A East Storehouse
View of the Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse. Image by David Parry, PA Media Assignments.
V&A East Storehouse, now open and free to visit, offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s great collections. This innovative museum and working store houses over half a million objects across art, design, fashion, and performance. From ancient Egyptian footwear to contemporary streetwear, the range is extraordinary. Highlights include Picasso’s Le Train Bleu, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kaufmann Office, Vivien Leigh’s costumes, and iconic designs by Balenciaga and Westwood. With over 100 displays, self-guided tours, and the option to request specific items, it’s a treasure trove for curious minds.
Location: V&A East Storehouse, Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20 3BS. vam.ac.uk
Interview of the week
In conversation with Nimrod Vardi and Claudel Goy, directors of arebyte gallery
Nimrod Vardi and Claudel Goy, the Directors of arebyte gallery.
Nimrod Vardi and Claudel Goy, directors of arebyte Gallery, discuss how the space is redefining digital art by blending technology, social science, and immersive experiences. From AI and consciousness to the societal impact of tech, arebyte’s bold exhibitions go beyond visual spectacle, focusing on meaningful engagement and innovative presentation. As the gallery prepares to move from London City Island to Camden, the directors reflect on their vision and what’s next for this boundary-pushing art space.
Click here to read the full interview.
Food of the week
La Poule au Pot
La Poule au Pot. Image credit Natascha Milsom.
La Poule au Pot in Belgravia has opened its charming terrace for summer — perfect for enjoying classic French fare in the sun. Open daily for lunch and dinner, the menu includes bistro favourites like steak frites, ratatouille, and cheese quiche, plus seasonal specials such as asparagus with hollandaise and onion tart. There’s a good selection for vegetarians too, including a flavourful meat-free cassoulet. Highlights include veal escalope with mushroom sauce and traditional desserts like crème brûlée and tarte tatin.
Location: La Poule au Pot, 231 Ebury Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 8UT. pouleaupot.co.uk; @lapouleaupotrestaurant
Cause of the week
United in Design
United in Design
WOW!house partnered with United in Design this year, a UK charity founded by interior designers Alexandria Dauley and Sophie Ashby, dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the interior design industry. Established in 2020, United in Design supports underrepresented groups through mentorships, paid internships, school outreach, and partnerships with design firms to create career opportunities and foster a more inclusive industry.
As part of this partnership, a portion of WOW!house ticket sales is donated to United in Design to help fund their vital work. People can support the charity by becoming partners, volunteering as mentors, making donations, or spreading awareness. To learn more or get involved, visit unitedindesign.com.
