Where to find public art in London this summer 2024
Summer in London offers the perfect opportunity to delve into the city's fantastic public art trails. With the resurgence of public art programmes at The Southbank Centre, alongside the public art trail associated with Chelsea and Kensington Art Week, as well as permanent fixtures like The Line in East London and the last opportunity to view sculptures from the 12th edition of Sculptures in the City, there's plenty to explore. Here's our guide on when and where to experience free public art in London this summer.
You Belong Here at the Southbank Centre
#FLODown: The Southbank Centre’s summer season, You Belong Here, showcases free art installations exploring identity and history. Highlights include returning favourites like Jeppe Hein’s Appearing Rooms and new works by artists like Tavares Strachan and Yinka Ilori. Photographers Artur Conka and Serena Brown highlight marginalised communities, while Olivia Plender commemorates the friendship between activist Sylvia Pankhurst and Emperor Haile Selassie.
Date: 8 June – 1 September 2024. Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Website: southbankcentre.co.uk.
The Kensington and Chelsea Art Week (KCAW) Public Art Trail
#FLODown: The Kensington and Chelsea Art Week (KCAW) presents a diverse array of artistic works across London, with the Public Art Trail as its centrepiece. This year's highlights on the Public Art Trail include Yoni Alter's interactive Love Continuum, Charlotte Colbert's psychedelic-inspired Tutti Frutti, and Gillie and Marc's conservation-focused Kids Go Wild sculpture trail. Additionally, visitors can experience Gus Farnes' ancient-inspired Stele and Amy Jackson's environmentally beneficial Living London moss sculpture. These installations, along with locally curated projects, poetry events, and an Art Bus tour, offer an engaging exploration of contemporary art in London.
Date: June – August 2024. Location: Kensington and Chelsea. Website: kcaw.co.uk.
Chelsea Barracks Sculpture Trail 2024
#FLODown: This year, Chelsea Barracks expands its art programme with 'Modern Masters', an outdoor exhibition curated by New Public and London Craft Week. The inaugural edition features renowned American artist Dale Chihuly, showcasing four glass installations throughout Chelsea Barracks. Chihuly's works explore form, light, and space. These installations will be on display throughout the summer, giving visitors ample time to appreciate his art.
Date: 13 May 2024 - 30 October 2024. Location: Chelsea Barracks, Belgravia, London, SW1W 8BW. Website: chelseabarracks.com.
The Line
#FLODown: Established in 2015, The Line is an art walk that features works by renowned artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, and Thomas J. Price. Stretching along the Greenwich Meridian from Stratford to Greenwich, notable pieces include Richard Wilson's A Slice of Reality, Abigail Fallis's DNA DL90, and Thomas J. Price's Reaching Out in Stratford. Exploring The Line can take up to four hours and offers a perfect opportunity to immerse oneself in London's vibrant art scene while enjoying scenic views of East London.
Date: ongoing. Location: Stratford to Greenwich. Website: the-line.org.
Sculpture Garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery
#FLODown: Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and Li Li Ren have launched Dulwich Picture Gallery's innovative sculpture garden, part of the "Open Art" project. Shonibare's Material (SG) IV and Ren's To find a way home mark the beginning of London's first gallery-based sculpture garden. These vibrant additions, along with future curated installations, signal the gallery's transformation over the next two years. Beyond the garden, the Open Art project includes revitalising outdoor spaces and creating family facilities, aiming to blend art and nature for an engaging visitor experience.
Date: ongoing. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery,London SE21 7AD.
Sculpture in the City
#FLODown: Sculpture in the City's 12th edition transforms London's financial district into a dynamic gallery space, showcasing 18 remarkable sculptures by acclaimed artists. Although pieces by Jocelyn McGregor, Larry Bell, Pedro Pires, Phyllida Barlow, and Simeon Barclay were removed in early May, other artworks remain on display until early June 2024.
Watch out for more news on the 13th edition of Sculpture in the City, due to take place in late 2024 - 2025.
Date: until early June 2024. Location: City of London. Website: sculptureinthecity.org.uk.
The Summer Exhibition commences in the Annenberg Courtyard with Nicola Turner's striking sculpture. Created in dialogue with the existing statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Turner's work sets an impressive tone for the exhibition and is freely accessible to all. The theme for the 256th Summer Exhibition…
Christie's London is showcasing Vivienne Westwood's personal collection ahead of a landmark auction. Recognised as one of the most important British fashion designers of all time, Westwood's collection features over 200 items spanning 40 years, with a portion of the sale proceeds benefiting charity…
Claire Luxton is a British contemporary multi-disciplinary artist working with photography, immersive installation and poetry. Her latest work, Field of Dreams, is part of a partnership with Battersea Power Station to bring a free-to-view, botanical inspired art installation to the iconic London landmark.
Celeste at Tate Modern Late · Courtauld Lates: Summer of Art · Soane Late: Pride Month Celebration · Saatchi Gallery: Summer Lates · Morgan Stanley Late at Somerset House.
Noah Davis retrospective and Citra Sasmita's UK debut highlight Barbican's 2025 programme…
New large-scale public artwork by renowned artist Yayoi Kusama to transform Kensington Gardens.
This is a high-energy and ambitious production that forces its audience to reconsider the motivations of one of history’s most notorious kings…
Horniman Museum · The Garden Museum · Museum of Brands · Charles Dickens Museum · Dulwich Picture Gallery · Museum of the Home · Natural History Museum · Kew Gardens · William Morris Gallery · The Serpentine Galleries
The play is a rom com of sorts and uses music which should be familiar from the likes of Nina Simone, Britney and Lady Sovereign, with altered lyrics to fit the narrative. Songs such as You’re So Pretty When You Cry and the final Solidarity Song…
The Globe’s 2024 summer season is off to a flying start with a joyous romp through one of Shakespeare’s much-loved comedies…
Central Saint Martins Shows 2024 · RA Schools Show 2024 · Goldsmiths Degree Show 2024 · Chelsea College of Arts Undergraduate and Graduate Diploma Show · Slade School of Fine Art Degree Show 2024 · Camberwell College of Arts Undergraduate and Graduate Diploma Show · Kingston School of Art Show 2024 · London College of Communication's Shows 2024 · Wimbledon College of Arts 2024 Undergraduate Show · City & Guilds London School Degree Show
Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere • Rheim Alkadhi: Templates for Liberation • Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 • Francis Alÿs: Ricochets • Anthony McCall: Solid Light • Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2024 • Zanele Muholi • NAOMI • RA Schools Show 2024 • Alex Israel: REMEMBR • Galli: So, So, So • Before Freedom Pt. 2: Adam Rouhana • 23rd Serpentine Pavilion by Minsuk Cho • Karoliina Hellberg: Labyrinth • Discover Degas and Miss La La…
Clerkenwell Design Week 2024 · Chelsea Barracks x House & Garden Spring Fair · Cold Water at Park Theatre · Sarāb at Ronnie Scott’s · Communion at Bold Tendencies · RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 · REVERB by The Vinyl Factory · Judith Chicago: Revelations · The Biba Story, 1964-1975 · Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King · James Baldwin Through Film at the Barbican · M&M’s Soho Pop-Up · 5&20 Group Show and Halima Cassell Solo Show · Don KOKO at Café KOKO · Interview with EKLEIDO · Haven Network · Marina Sena at the Jazz Café…
Bold Tendencies is back for the summer season, transforming a disused car park in Peckham into an arts venue throughout the summer. This year’s theme, Communion, explores community resilience in crises, featuring works by artists like Saelia Aparicio, Adam Farah-Saad, Olu Ogunnaike, Yoko Ono, and Martin Parr…
Isa Genzken: Wasserspeier and Angels · Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland · Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music · Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection · Design Discoveries: Towards a Design Museum Japan · Adam Rouhana: Before Freedom · Photo London 2024.
Original music and writing from social enterprise theatre company Big House hits all the right notes in its powerful examination of censorship and the role art plays in helping marginalised communities find their voice.
Adjacent to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show is Chelsea Barracks, simultaneously hosting a spring fair for visitors to the area with the opportunity to see the development of this 12.8-acre site previously out of public reach for 150 years…
London based visual artists, Sian Bliss creates dreamscapes across both digital and traditional mediums with boundless excitement, capturing the essence of her imaginative vision.
Vibrant expressionism: Kandinsky, Münter, and the Blue Rider exhibition takes Tate Modern by storm..
The award-winning neo-jazz artist Ni Maxine from Liverpool performed in London this month with a live show, ‘Ode To Billie Holiday’, at Pizza Express Holborn on Friday 26 April 2024, all part of series of live shows through the UK…
Hayward Gallery unveils exciting series of free exhibitions with RC Foundation, Taiwan (R.O.C.), debuting multidisciplinary artist Naomi Rincón Gallardo's work in June…
Among our passions for art and exploring bakeries, we also cherish London's green spaces. From vast areas like the Walthamstow Wetlands to hidden gems like Phoenix Gardens and Mount Street Gardens. Here are our top choices of 13 green spaces to fully embrace London's summer in 2024…
Robert Rauschenberg ROCI · Andrew Omoding: Animals to Remember Uganda · Jane Emburey: all things are full of gods · Younès Ben Slimane: Images de Tunisie · Lindokuhle Sobekwa: Heart of the garden · Matthew Krishanu: The Bough Breaks · Accordion Fields · SKATEBOARD · Darren Almond: Life Line · Richard Kimathi: Heaven is Dry.
Clerkenwell Design Week 2024 • London Craft Week 2024 • Battersea Power Station x Claire Luxton • Twelfth Night (or What You Will) • Chelsea Barracks x House & Garden Spring Fair • IWA Canalway Cavalcade • Gerhard Richter: STRIP-TOWER • Lift 109 Lates: Skyline Sketching • RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 • Chelsea in Bloom 2024 • REVERB by The Vinyl Factory • War Child x Art on a Postcard…
Renowned artist Gerhard Richter's monumental sculpture, STRIP-TOWER (2023) unveiled at Serpentine South…
Southbank Centre's summer programme celebrates diversity and inclusivity with 'You Belong Here' campaign.
Gagosian's second Gagosian Open presentation, showcasing Nan Goldin's 'Sisters, Saints, Sibyls,' will open in May in the historic setting of a former Welsh Chapel situated in Soho.
Women’s stories and solidarity. Feminism and Activism. Photography.
The Untold and Untrue Story has arrived in London for a three-week run at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. Let me start by saying it is the best and silliest kind of fun and the most I’ve laughed in such a short space of time.
Ceramic Art London · The Last Caravaggio · Sony World Photography Awards · Sofia Laskari: Body and Flesh · Yulia Iosilzon: Modus Operandi · Alexandra Zarins: Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves · Lucienne O'Mara: Through the Grid · Mafalda von Hessen: Looking In · Allan Gardner: Foreverisms · San Marco by John Robertson…