London’s most anticipated art month is on the horizon, with Frieze London and Masters returning to The Regent’s Park from 9 - 13 October 2024. This renowned week typically sees a flurry of activity across the city, with numerous art fairs, events, and exhibitions showcasing the best in contemporary and historical art. To help you navigate the excitement, here is your guide to 50 art exhibitions not to be missed during Frieze Week.

Click here to discover the art fairs in London during Frieze Week 2024.

Zaha Hadid: Paper Museums

#FLODown: The Zaha Hadid Foundation’s exhibition, Zaha Hadid: Paper Museums, highlights paper reliefs crucial to Zaha Hadid Architects' design process. It focuses on their significance to three major museum projects: the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, MAXXI Museum in Rome, and the unrealised Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. These paper reliefs, created between the late 1990s and early 2000s, reveal the evolution of Hadid's architectural vision, bridging her two-dimensional paintings with innovative three-dimensional concepts. The exhibition features abstract reliefs for CAC, a perspective-based relief of MAXXI, and various studies for the Museum of Islamic Art, illustrating space optimisation and flow.

Date: 19 September 2024 – 16 November 2024. Location: Zaha Hadid Foundation, 10 Bowling Green Lane London, EC1R 0BQ. Price: Free. zhfoundation.com.

Simnikiwe Buhlungu

#FLODown: Chisenhale Gallery will host the first UK solo exhibition of Simnikiwe Buhlungu, presenting a major new commission that explores the nature of knowledge—its production, appearance, and distribution. Buhlungu investigates how knowledges are encountered, using diverse mediums like sound, film, text, and more, with previous works incorporating elements such as theremins, cassette tapes, and honey bee research. The exhibition will traverse various disciplines and locations, using the concept of a 'puddle' to explore how knowledges, histories, and ecologies circulate and accumulate. A new publication will also be developed as part of this project.

Date: 6 September 2024 – 3 November 2024. Location: Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road London E3 5QZ.Price: Free. chisenhale.org.uk.

Hyundai Commission: Mire Lee

#FLODown: Mire Lee will create the next Hyundai Commission for Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, opening in October 2024 and running until March 2025. Known for her visceral sculptures that blend kinetic and mechanised elements with organic forms, this will be Lee's first major UK presentation. Her work uses materials like steel, cement, and silicone to explore the tension between soft and rigid systems, engaging the senses and reflecting on themes of emotion and desire. The Hyundai Commission, supported by the long-term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor, offers artists the chance to create new work for this iconic space.

Date: 9 October 2024 – 16 March 2025. Location: Tate Modern, Turbine Hall, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. tate.org.uk.

Haegue Yang: Leap Year

#FLODown: The Hayward Gallery will host Leap Year by Haegue Yang in October, featuring the artist's first major UK survey. Yang's innovative work spans installations and sculptures that explore cross-cultural influences, modernism, and personal narratives. The exhibition will debut three new commissions alongside her iconic Venetian blind pieces and immersive sonic sculptures, offering a compelling exploration of everyday objects and spiritual themes through Yang's unique artistic lens.

Date: 9 October 2024 –⁠ 5 January 2025. Location: Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX.Price: from £19, Free for Members & under-12s. Book now.

Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation

#FLODown: An Awkward Relation will be a new exhibition by Sonia Boyce at Whitechapel Gallery, designed to complement the concurrent show of Brazilian artist Lygia Clark, The I and the You. The exhibition will explore themes of interaction and participation through rarely seen works by Boyce, including pieces on hair and the multimedia installation We Move in Her Way (2017). It will also feature a section pairing works by both artists, reflecting their shared and distinct approaches. The title, An Awkward Relation, highlights the complex dynamics between artists, their works, and audiences. Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation is presented in dialogue with Lygia Clark: The I and The You .

Date: 2 October 2024 - 12 January 2025. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX.whitechapelgallery.org.

Lygia Clark: The I and the You

#FLODown: The I and the You will be the first major UK public gallery survey of Brazilian artist Lygia Clark (1920–1988). Focusing on Clark’s work from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, the exhibition highlights her role in the Brazilian Neo-concrete movement and her shift towards more experimental and participatory art. Featuring paintings, works on paper, and her iconic ‘Bichos’, the show illustrates how Clark’s art evolved to foster greater audience interaction. An integrated programme of talks and participatory events will provide further context. The exhibition will be presented alongside Sonia Boyce’s An Awkward Relation.

Date: 2 October 2024 - 12 January 2025. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. whitechapelgallery.org.

MARY MARY

#FLODown: MARY MARY, presented by theCOLAB and the Artist’s Garden, is a major outdoor sculpture exhibition in central London featuring nine women artists. Hosted on the Artist’s Garden’s roof terrace above Temple tube station, the world’s first sculpture garden dedicated to women artists, the show includes new and adapted works by Rong Bao, Candida Powell-Williams, Alice Wilson, Lucy Gregory, and L R Vandy, alongside existing pieces by Olivia Bax, Frances Richardson, Holly Stevenson, and Virginia Overton. The exhibition challenges traditional notions of women’s roles and contributions, integrating their works into the urban landscape while addressing themes of space reclamation and historical representation.

Date: 3 October 2024 - September 2025. Location: Artist’s Garden, Temple Place, London WC2R 2PH. Price: Free. thecolab.art.

Tarek Lahkrissi: SPIT

#FLODown: French artist Tarek Lakhrissi’s exhibition, SPIT, at Nicoletti, addresses themes of identity and social exclusion following a June 2024 incident where he was attacked at Pride in Paris. The show features a 3D-printed Angry Face With Horns emoji, glass sculptures of suns and kissing tongues, and a series of drawings depicting queer angels and demons. Through these works, Lakhrissi explores the tensions between light and darkness, desire and melancholy, while examining identity formation and the use of fiction and eroticism as tools for emancipation.

Date: 19 September - 2 November 2024. Location: Nicoletti, London, 91 Paul St, London EC2A 4NY. Price: Free. nicoletticontemporary.com.

Sammy Baloji

#FLODown: Goldsmiths CCA presents a solo exhibition by Sammy Baloji, featuring two new commissions and significant recent works displayed in the UK for the first time. The exhibition explores themes such as climate, tropical architecture, Belgian Art Nouveau, and the extraction of resources from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Highlights include Baloji’s 2023 film, Aequare. The Future that Never Was, which critiques the colonial and ecological impacts on the Congo's rainforest, and Shinkolobwe’s Abstraction (2022), which addresses Cold War uranium extraction from the DRC. The exhibition examines the legacy of colonialism, capitalism, and their entanglement with science and art.

Date: 4 October 2024 - 12 January 2025. Location: Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary, St James’s, New Cross, SE14 6ED. Price: Free. goldsmithscca.art.

Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection

#FLODown: The V&A presents an exhibition featuring over 300 rare prints from Sir Elton John and David Furnish's private collection. Showcasing modern and contemporary photography by 140+ photographers like Mapplethorpe, Sherman, Eggleston, and Arbus, it spans from the 1950s to the present. Themes include fashion, reportage, celebrity, the male body, and American photography. Commemorating 30 years of collecting, it highlights portraits of icons and pivotal historical moments, including the Civil Rights movement, AIDS activism, and 9/11.

Date: 18 May 2024 – 5 January 2025. Location: V&A Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. Price: £20. Book now.

Yayoi Kusama: Every Day I Pray for Love

#FLODown: Yayoi Kusama's fourteenth solo exhibition at Victoria Miro gallery unveils a new Infinity Mirror Room alongside a fresh series of paintings titled Every Day I Pray for Love. These intimate paintings, rich in intricate detail and vibrant colours, extend her iconic exploration of line and form, evoking both microscopic and expansive worlds. The exhibition also showcases new sculptures displayed within the gallery and on the canalside terrace, marking 26 years since Kusama's debut solo show with Victoria Miro in 1998.

Date: 25 September -2 November 2024. Date: Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Rd, London, N1 7RW. Price: Tickets will be released on Monday 2 September 2024. Entry is free and booking is essential. Book now.

Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider

#FLODown: Tate Modern's exhibition, Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider, explores the influential circle of artists in the early 20th century. Led by figures like Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter, the Blue Rider collective aimed to transcend borders through art. The exhibition displays their diverse perspectives, innovative approaches to form, and lasting legacy, offering a glimpse into their transformative impact on modernist art.

Date: 25 April – 20 October 2024. Location: Tate Modern Bankside London SE1 9TG. Price: £22. Book now.

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears

#FLODown: Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum will debut her first solo exhibition at a major UK institution with a large-scale installation at The Curve, Barbican. The installation, created in collaboration with Remco Osório Lobato, immerses visitors in the imagined daily life of a rural 20th-century colonial outpost, loosely based on Sunstrum’s grandmother's hometown in Botswana. The exhibition features drawings, paintings, and installations that tell the story of a new character within Sunstrum’s cast of alter-egos. Inspired by crime fiction and mid-century film noir, the work challenges the femme fatale archetype while exploring themes of home, hybrid identities, and wholeness.

 Date: 18 September 2024 – 5 January 2025. Location: The Curve, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London,EC2Y 8DS. Price: Free. barbican.org.uk.

Lauren Halsey: emajendat

#FLODown: Serpentine presents emajendat, the first UK exhibition of LA-based artist Lauren Halsey. Held at Serpentine South, the exhibition transforms the gallery into an immersive environment inspired by Kensington Gardens. Halsey's work reflects her South Central LA roots, blending African diaspora cultures, ancient Egypt, and funk aesthetics. The installation features vibrant sand dunes, mirrored CDs, and sculptures, creating a futuristic ‘funk garden’ that celebrates and resists gentrification. A publication by Serpentine and Rizzoli will accompany the exhibition, highlighting Halsey's work and influences.

Date: 11 October – 2 March 2025. Location: Serpentine South, Serpentine Gallery, W2 3XA.

Frieze Sculpture 2024

#FLODown: Frieze Sculpture returns to Regent’s Park, London, from 18 September to 27 October 2024, coinciding with Frieze London and Frieze Masters. Curated by Fatoş Üstek, this 12th edition features 22 international artists and includes 18 new works exploring various media such as sound, light, and augmented reality. The exhibition will be supported by public programmes and curator-led tours, with Bloomberg Connects debuting as the Official Digital Guide, offering exclusive content and an audio tour. It is also part of London Sculpture Week, alongside the Fourth Plinth, Sculpture in the City, and The Line.

Date: 18 September 2024 – 27 October 2024. Location: The Regent's Park, Chester Rd London England NW1 4NR. Price: Free.

Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas

#FLODown: Marlene Dumas’s Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery will explore themes of grief and displacement, blending chance with intention. Drawing on the myth of Marsyas from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Dumas will reflect on artistic freedom and the cruelty of unjust revenge. The exhibition will feature raw, emotionally charged imagery that will address both political and personal struggles, while examining Dumas’s ongoing exploration of death and its representation, shaped by historical and personal tragedies.

Date: 20 September 2024 – 16 November 2024. Location: Frith Street Gallery, Golden Square, 17-18 Golden Square London W1F 9JJ. Price: Free. frithstreetgallery.com. 

Robert Longo: Searchers

#FLODown: Robert Longo revisits his Combines of the 1980s in Searchers, a two-part exhibition at Thaddaeus Ropac and Pace. The show features monumental new multimedia works that showcase Longo's exploration of different media throughout his career. At Thaddaeus Ropac, Untitled (Pilgrim), a seven-metre-wide piece composed of five panels, combines a charcoal drawing, video, painting, sculpture, and photograph. Longo aims to create a Combine that captures an image through various mediums. This work is paired with Untitled (Hunter), on display concurrently at Pace.

Date: 9 October – 9 November 2024 (Pace) 20 November 2024 (Thaddaeus Ropac). Location: PACE,  5 Hanover Square, London W1S 1HQ; Thaddaeus Ropac, Ely House, 37 Dover St, London W1S 4NJ. Price: Free.

Looks Delicious! Exploring Japan’s food replica culture

#FLODown: Explore the fascinating world of shokuhin sampuru—realistic food replicas displayed in Japanese restaurant windows—in this vibrant exhibition. Showcasing models from Japan’s 47 prefectures, created by the renowned Iwasaki Group, the display includes dishes like Okinawan goya chanpuru and Ainu ohaw. Visitors can engage further with interactive activities, including creating their own replica food, and attend free events such as craft demonstrations, workshops, and talks on Japanese food culture.

Date: 2 October 2024 – 16 February 2025. Location:  Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High St Kensington London England W8 5SA. Price: Free. japanhouselondon.uk.

Geumhyung Jeong: Under Construction

#FLODown: The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) will present Geumhyung Jeong's exhibition Under Construction, highlighting her distinctive blend of choreography and technology. Featuring new installations of sculpture and video, the exhibition explores the dynamic between humans and machines through animatronic figures and Jeong's own body. It includes autonomous sculptures and videos capturing interactions between Jeong and her creations, with live performances scheduled for October 8th, 9th, and November 13th, along with a performative lecture on November 15th.

Date: 25 September  – 8 December 2024. Location: Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5AH. Price: from £6. Free on Tuesdays. Book now.

Joseph Awuah-Darko: How Is Your Day Going?

#FLODown: Ed Cross Gallery presents How is your day going?, Joseph Awuah-Darko’s first solo exhibition in London. The show features a new iteration of his Days series, inspired by his 2024 residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. These works, blending biomorphic forms and vibrant colours, are based on Excel spreadsheets Awuah-Darko used to track his moods, turning therapy into art. The transformative residency, during which the artist came out to his family, deeply influenced the series. The gallery's presentation immerses viewers in his emotional journey, making the personal resonate universally.

Date: 5 September 2024 – 19 October 2024. Location: Ed Cross Fine Art, 19 Garrett Street London England EC1Y 0TY. Price: Free. edcrossfineart.com.

Nicola L. 

#FLODown: This exhibition presents Nicola L.'s pioneering artistic practice, encompassing sculpture, performance, painting, collage, and film. For the first time in the UK and Europe, visitors will experience her provocative Pénétrables sculptures, interactive textile works, and documentation of impactful performances like The Blue Cape and Red Coat. Her oversized furniture sculptures and feminist-themed series, such as The Femme Fatale underscore her exploration of equality and societal roles. The exhibition also highlights her influential work in moving image, including feature films and documentaries, showcasing Nicola L.'s profound impact across various artistic disciplines.

Date: 4 October  - 29 December 2024. Location: Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Rd, London NW3 6DG. Price: Free. camdenartcentre.org.

Yelena Popova: Of Dust and Breath

#FLODown: IONE & MANN is marking its second anniversary on Conduit Street with Of Dust and Breath, a solo exhibition by Yelena Popova. The show features her Post-Petrochemical series, where she uses pigments made from soil and clay to explore themes of creation, life cycles, and regeneration. Popova’s abstract and tactile works delve into the profound connections between nature, human existence, and the vast span of geological time, inviting viewers to reflect on our place within these cycles.

Date: 21 September – 7 November 2024. (Frieze Week: Monday to Saturday 11-6 pm). Location: 1st Floor, 6 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XE. Price: Free. ioneandmann.com.

Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit

#FLODown: The UK's first major exhibition of American artist Mike Kelley showcases his imaginative and provocative creations spanning from the late 1970s to 2012. Kelley's diverse body of work includes drawing, collage, performance, found objects, and video, highlighted by his groundbreaking 'craft' sculptures and multimedia installations like Day Is Done. Drawing from popular culture, literature, and philosophy, Kelley explores the interplay between societal roles, historical truths, and fictional personas from media. A decade after his death, Kelley's profound reflections on identity and memory remain impactful and relevant.

Date: 2 October 2024 – 9 March 2025.Location: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Price: £18 / free for members. Concessions available. tate.org.uk.

Urs Fischer: Scratch and Sniff

#FLODown: Opening at Sadie Coles HQ, Urs Fischer’s Scratch & Sniff showcases his experiments in painting and installation. Blending photography, ink-jet printing, and painting, the works mix figurative and abstract elements, exploring the interplay of flatness and depth. A standout piece, Meditations (2024), features an Amazon search screengrab, reflecting contemporary anxieties. The gallery floor, covered in vinyl printed with Fischer’s studio flooring, connects viewers to the art-making process. The show references his 2009 New Museum exhibition and includes a free scratch-off book for interactive engagement beyond the gallery.

Date: 12 September 2024 – 26 October 2024. Location: Sadie Coles HQ | Kingly Street, 62 Kingly Street London W1B 5QN. Price: Free. sadiecoles.com.

Michael Craig-Martin

#FLODown: The Royal Academy of Arts will host the UK's largest exhibition dedicated to British artist Michael Craig-Martin. Known for his significant contributions to conceptual art, Craig-Martin's body of work spans sculpture, installation, drawing, painting, and prints. His pieces blend elements of pop, minimalism, and conceptualism, transforming everyday objects with bold colours and simple lines. The exhibition will explore his influence on contemporary art and education, addressing the crisis in art education in the UK.

Date: 21 September - 10 December 2024. Location: Royal Academy of Arts,Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD. Price: £22- £24.50. Book. now.

Paula Rae Gibson: Be Alive With Me

#FLODown: Be Alive With Me is an exhibition by Paula Rae Gibson, showcasing 20 portraits that reflect her emotions following the loss of her husband, British film director Brian Gibson. The works, created using silver gelatin prints with added textures from paint, chemicals, and chalk, capture a period of intense love and grief. Curated by Katy Barron, the exhibition highlights Gibson's deeply personal journey of self-discovery through photography, a medium she turned to after a near-fatal car accident at 21 and again after her husband's death in 2004.

Date: 1 - 6 October 2024. Location:  The Fitzrovia Chapel, Fitzroy Place 2 Pearson Square London England W1T3BF. Price: Free.

Monet and London: Views of the Thames

#FLODown: Monet and London: Views of the Thames will feature Claude Monet's lesser-known 'Thames series,' painted during his London stays from 1899 to 1901. These Impressionist masterpieces depict iconic London landmarks like Charing Cross Bridge and the Houses of Parliament with evocative atmosphere and vibrant colour. Originally planned for a 1905 London exhibition, this collection will finally be shown in the UK for the first time, offering a unique glimpse into Monet's artistic vision from this period.

Date: 27 September 2024 – 19 January 2025. Location: The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. Price: from £16. Book now.

Ernest Cole: A Lens in Exile

#FLODown: Ernest Cole, celebrated for his uncompromising documentation of apartheid's harsh realities, fled South Africa in 1966 and become stateless two years later. Upon settling in New York City, his lens turned to capturing Harlem and Manhattan during the civil rights movement, now showcased at Autograph in an exhibition titled A Lens in Exile. Despite aspirations for freedom from racism, Cole's photographs continue to expose systemic injustice. Rediscovered in 2017, his images from 1967-1972 illuminate the struggles of African Americans in the United States.

Date:13 June - 12 October 2024. Location: Autograph, Rivington Pl, London EC2A 3BA. Price: Free. autograph.org.uk.

Alexis Peskine: Forest Figures

#FLODown: Forest Figures, Alexis Peskine's third solo exhibition at October Gallery, explores African spirituality and the diversity of the diaspora. His large-scale portraits, made by hammering nails into wooden canvases and using gold, silver, and palladium leaf, evoke Congo Basin Minkisi figures. Drawing on Afro-Brazilian spirituality, Peskine incorporates natural elements like cowrie shells and herbs to symbolise resilience and peace. The exhibition also includes photographic works and a segment from his film REVERSE, offering a retelling of colonial histories and celebrating the strength of Black figures.

Date: 3 October – 9 November 2024. Location: October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AL. Price: Free. octobergallery.co.uk.

Letizia Battaglia

#FLODown: The Photographer's Gallery will host Letizia Battaglia's first major exhibition, showcasing her acclaimed photography and photojournalism. Battaglia gained renown for her powerful documentation of the Sicilian Mafia from the 1970s to the early 1990s, capturing scenes of daily terror and organised crime that often made headlines. Her 40-year career spanned a wide range of subjects, including murder victims, religious festivals, societal contrasts of wealth and poverty, and the beauty and decay of Palermo and its surroundings. Her work offers both a broad and intimate portrayal of this iconic Sicilian city.

Date: 9 October 2024 – 23 February 2025. Location: The Photographers' Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW. Price: £10 (£7 concession). Advance: £8.50 (£6 concession). Book now.

Emma McNally: The Earth is Knot Flat

#FLODown: Emma McNally's first solo institutional exhibition in the UK, The Earth is Knot Flat, showcases her most ambitious installation to date. The exhibition features multi-dimensional works that challenge traditional notions of drawing, using materials like paper and graphite in innovative ways. McNally's large-scale, undulating pieces, resembling geological formations, and smaller suspended works interact rhythmically, drawing on themes such as geological processes and planetary movements. The installation aims to disrupt hierarchical thinking and promote a collective, interconnected approach. The exhibition also includes embedded film projections and a book titled Etymologies of Foam and Dust, which explores memory and material in a post-colonial context.

Date: 2 October – 15 December 2024. Location: Drawing Room, Unit 1B New Tannery Wy., London SE1 5WS. Price: Free. drawingroom.org.uk.

Lap-See Lam

#FLODown: Lap-See Lam’s exhibition at Studio Voltaire, London, is her first institutional show in the UK. It builds on her 2024 Venice Biennale presentation and explores cultural translation and heritage through the Sea Palace, a floating Chinese restaurant turned haunted funhouse. The show features a new film inspired by Cantonese Opera and an immersive bamboo scaffolding installation.

Date: 18 September –15 December 2024. Location: Studio Voltaire,1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR. Price: Free. studiovoltaire.org. 

Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights

#FLODown: The Wellcome Collection's major exhibition, Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights, explores the profound impact of physical work on health and the body. It highlights the experiences of underrepresented workers and their struggles within precarious and unsafe labour conditions. Featuring over 150 items, including historical objects, contemporary artworks, films, and new commissions, the exhibition reveals hidden histories of resistance and collective action, showcasing the global interconnectedness of working practices and the ongoing fight for workers' rights.

Date: 19 September 2024 – 27 April 2025. Location: Wellcome Collection,183 Euston Road London NW1 2BE. Price: Free.  wellcomecollection.org.

The World of Tim Burton

#FLODown: Tim Burton's unique artistic vision is celebrated in an upcoming exhibition at London's Design Museum. Curated by Jenny He with Burton's input, it showcases his work across various mediums, including illustration, painting, and photography. As the final stop of its global tour, this is the only chance to see the exhibition in Britain.

Date: 25 October 2024 — 21 April 2025. Location: Design Museum. 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG.  Price: TBC.  designmuseum.org.

Anthony McCall: Raised Voices

#FLODown: Sprüth Magers is showcasing Raised Voices, an exhibition by Anthony McCall featuring the UK premiere of a new solid light work and career-spanning drawings. This exhibition coincides with a major solo show of McCall's work at Tate Modern, running until 27 April 2025.

Date: 13 September – 21 December 2024. Location: Sprüth Magers London, 7A Grafton Street London England W1S 4EJ. Price: Free. spruethmagers.com.

The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998 

#FLODown: The Barbican Art Gallery presents a groundbreaking exhibition exploring India's transformative cultural and political era through the works of 30 visionary artists. Spanning nearly 150 pieces across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and film, this landmark group show dissects the pivotal moments of the late 20th century and captures the intimate, everyday moments that defined this period. A specially curated film season, Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970, will run concurrently with the exhibition.

Date: 5 October 2024 – 5 January 2025. Location: Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £20. Concessions available. Book now.

Rana Begum

#FLODown: Rana Begum’s exhibition at Kate MacGarry explores the interaction of materials and light, featuring her new Louvre series and a shift towards a more contemplative practice. Through glass, stone, and metal, Begum contrasts materiality with simplicity, while revisiting early themes in her Relief Panel series. Watercolours from a residency also capture architectural rhythms and light.

Date: 13 September - 26 October 2024. Location: Kate MacGarry, 27 Old Nichol St, London E2 7HR. Price: Free. katemacgarry.com.

Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end

#FLODown: Coinciding with Frieze London, White Cube will host a significant solo exhibition by Tracey Emin at their Bermondsey gallery. The expansive showcase encompasses new paintings, works on paper, and a monumental bronze sculpture. 

Date: 19 September – 10 November 2024. Location: White Cube Bermondsey, 144 – 152 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ. Price: Free. whitecube.com.

Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent

#FLODown: The Archive of Dissent at Whitechapel Gallery showcases Peter Kennard's five-decade career across three former library galleries. His iconic photomontages, inspired by John Heartfield, span from the Vietnam War to contemporary issues, challenging societal norms and power structures. Notable installations include Boardroom (2023) and Double Exposure (2023), which use light and projection to reinterpret photomontage. The exhibition also honours the gallery’s history of protest with The People's University of the East End (2024).

Date: 23 July 2024 - 19 January 2025. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. Price: Free. whitechapelgallery.org.

Silk Roads

#FLODown: Silk Roads explores the vast and intricate networks that connected Asia, Africa, and Europe, extending from Japan to Britain and Scandinavia to Madagascar. Far more than a single trade route, these overlapping pathways facilitated the exchange of goods, people, and ideas, profoundly shaping cultures and histories. Focusing on the period from AD 500 to 1000, the exhibition showcases objects from the British Museum and 29 global partners, including never-before-seen artifacts from Central Asia. Through stories of individuals like Willibald, an English balsam smuggler, and a Chinese princess who spread silk farming secrets, the exhibition highlights the Silk Roads' role in connecting diverse cultures long before modern globalisation.

Date: 28 September 2024 – 23 February 2025. Location: British Museum, Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DG United Kingdom. Price: from £17.Book now. 

Zanele Muholi

#FLODown: Tate Modern is presenting a major UK survey of Zanele Muholi, the acclaimed visual activist and photographer. This exhibition features over 260 works documenting South Africa’s Black LGBTQIA+ communities. Highlights include key series such as Only Half the Picture, which captures both intimate and traumatic moments; Faces and Phases, an archive of portraits that challenge viewers' perceptions; Brave Beauties, celebrating non-binary and trans women; and Being, which portrays couples. Muholi's self-portraits in Somnyama Ngonyama delve into themes of labour, racism, and sexual politics. The exhibition builds on Muholi's previous 2020-21 show at Tate Modern and includes new works.

Date: 6 June 2024 – 26 January 2025. Location: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Price: £18. Concessions available. Book now.

Francis Bacon: Human Presence

#FLODown: A major Francis Bacon exhibition is set to open at the National Portrait Gallery, featuring works from the 1950s onward. It will delve into Bacon’s profound engagement with portraiture, redefining the boundaries of the genre. Showcasing pieces from both private and public collections, the exhibition highlights his responses to earlier masters, monumental paintings of lost lovers, and introspective self-portraits. Among the sitters are Lucian Freud, Isabel Rawsthorne, Peter Lacy, and George Dyer, offering an intimate glimpse into Bacon’s personal life.

Date: 10 October 2024 - 19 January 2025. Location: National  Portrait Gallery , St. Martin's Pl, London WC2H 0HE. Price: £23 / 25.50 with donation. Book now.

Yoshida: Three Generations of Japanese Printmaking

#FLODown: Yoshida: Three Generations of Japanese Printmaking at Dulwich Picture Gallery showcases the artworks of the renowned Yoshida family, spanning three generations: Hiroshi, Fujio, Tōshi, Hodaka, Chizuko, and Ayomi. This exhibition is the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, highlighting the legacy of these woodblock print artists and the evolution of Japanese printmaking over two centuries. Featured works include many by Hiroshi Yoshida, with pieces on loan from Japan's Fukuoka Art Museum making their UK debut. The exhibition culminates in a stunning cherry blossom installation by Ayomi Yoshida.

Date: 19 June – 3 November 2024. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21 7AD. Price: £20. Concessions available. Book now.

Nairy Baghramian: Jumbled Alphabet

#FLODown: The South London Gallery will host a new exhibition by Nairy Baghramian, marking her first major solo show in London in fourteen years amidst growing international acclaim. Baghramian’s conceptually rigorous sculptures challenge perceptions of self, space, and objects, using diverse techniques and materials to explore the spatial, architectural, social, and political contexts of contemporary art. Her works, which blend geometric shapes, organic matter, and industrial processes, subtly examine the intersections between art and fields like interior design, dance, and theatre. The exhibition will feature sculptures from her Misfits series and collaborative works with other artists in the Fire Station galleries.

Date: 27 September 2024 - 12 January 2025. Location: South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8UH. Price: Free. southlondongallery.org.

NAOMI: In Fashion

#FLODown: The V&A Museum presents NAOMI In Fashion, an exhibition celebrating Naomi Campbell's 40-year career as a pioneering British supermodel and fashion icon. Showcasing around 100 looks from top global designers and fashion photography curated by Edward Enninful, the exhibition also highlights Campbell's advocacy for social change and her support for emerging talent.

Date: 22 June 2024 - 6 April 2025. Location: V&A South, Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. Price: £18. Concessions available. Book now.

Click here for more fashion exhibitions to see in London right now.

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers

#FLODown: The National Gallery is hosting its first-ever exhibition dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh, titled Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, to mark its 200th anniversary. The exhibition will showcase over 50 works from various collections, highlighting Van Gogh's imaginative transformations and his poetic and romantic themes. The display focuses on his time in Arles and Saint-Rémy, exploring how he turned places into idealised spaces in his art. It will also delve into his series painting approach and use of contrasts. The exhibition will include major paintings from the National Gallery's collection, including Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s Chair.

Date: 14 September 2024 - 19 January 2025. Location: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Price: from £24. Book now.

Nina Cristante: The Richest Man in Babylon

#FLODown: Nina Cristante’s solo exhibition, The Richest Man in Babylon, at Cell Space Project will feature her debut film and a theatre-scale installation. Set in a speculative reality, the film explores austerity's impact on the body and mind, following a Movement Trainer helping wealthy clients escape urban pressures. Blending ballet, leisurewear, and meta-commentary, it critiques work-centric lifestyles while questioning fiction and medical practice. Cristante’s work merges performance, diagnosis, and theatre to address themes of control, health, and societal decay.

Date: 21 September 2024 – 24 November 2024 Location: Cell Project Space, 258 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9DA. Price: Free. cellprojects.org.

Alison Wilding: Testing The Objects of Affection

#FLODown: Alison Wilding's first exhibition at Alison Jacques offers a comprehensive overview of her influential 50-year career. Featuring works from 1975 to the present, this show provides an unprecedented look into one of Britain’s major sculptors. Emerging from the 1980s 'New British Sculpture' movement, Wilding's work blends traditional materials with a focus on abstraction, material juxtaposition, and viewer interaction. Despite often being overshadowed by her male peers, her exhibitions have included prestigious venues like MoMA and Tate. The exhibition highlights her diverse materials and scales, from small, intimate pieces to large sculptures, and includes works on paper that reflect her creative process and exploration of form.

Date: 20 September  – 26 October 2024. Location: Alison Jacques, 22 Cork Street London England W1S 3NG. Price: Free. alisonjacques.com.

23rd Serpentine Pavilion by Minsuk Cho

#FLODown: Minsuk Cho's vision for the 23rd Serpentine Pavilion, titled Archipelagic Void, breaks from tradition by decentralising the structure, turning the centre into an open space. The Pavilion comprises five distinct 'islands' of varying sizes and forms, connected by a central void. These timber structures, supported by adaptable footings, sit strategically around the lawn, reminiscent of traditional Korean houses with central courtyards. Each island serves a different purpose, from housing a gallery featuring a multi-channel sound installation to hosting a library of unread books. Other structures include an auditorium for public gatherings, a play tower for interactive experiences, and a tea house that pays homage to the site's history. Cho's design encourages engagement with both nature and cultural exchange.

Date: 7 June – 27 October 2024. Location: Serpentine, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA. Price: Free. serpentinegalleries.org.

In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s

#FLODown: In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s at the Royal Academy of Arts features around 70 works by renowned artists like Alexander Archipenko and Kazymyr Malevych, as well as lesser-known figures such as Mykhailo Boichuk and Oleksandr Bohomazov. The exhibition explores Ukraine's complex history and cultural identity through themes such as Cubo-Futurism, avant-garde theatre design, and Soviet influence, highlighting the nation's pursuit of a distinct artistic identity within European modernism.

Date: 29 June – 13 October 2024. Location: Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD. Price: from £17. Concessions available. Under 16s go free. Book now.   

Turner Prize 2024

#FLODown: Four leading British artists—Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson, Jasleen Kaur, and Delaine Le Bas—are shortlisted for the 2024 Turner Prize. Their diverse works will be showcased at Tate Britain from 25 September 2024, with the winner announced on 3 December 2024. Abad’s art, which delves into cultural loss and colonial histories, includes pieces from his solo exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum. Johnson is recognised for her compelling portraits of Black individuals, nominated for her exhibitions at The Courtauld Gallery and Ortuzar Projects. Kaur, known for her evocative sculptures and unique sound compositions, was honoured for her show at Tramway, Glasgow. Le Bas’s immersive installations, exploring Roma culture and themes of renewal, were presented in Vienna.

Date: 25 September 2024 – 16 February 2025.  Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Price: £14. Book now.

Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024

#FLODown: The Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award, currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, honours exceptional contemporary portrait painting. Open to artists aged eighteen and over, this esteemed competition has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries in its 40-year history. Featuring a collection of remarkable portraits, the works will be on display throughout Frieze Week, offering a unique opportunity to explore the work of leading contemporary portrait artists.

Date: 11 July - 27 October 2024. Location: National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Pl, London WC2H 0HE. Price: Free. npg.org.uk.