What’s on in London this week: 16 – 22 September 2024

Discover our pick of events in London this week: 16 – 22 September 2024.

Frieze Sculpture 2024

Frieze Sculpture returns to Regent’s Park this week for its 12th edition, curated by Fatoş Üstek. Showcasing 22 international artists, the exhibition features 18 new works across a variety of media, including sound, light, and augmented reality. Visitors can enjoy public programmes and curator-led tours, while Bloomberg Connects, the Official Digital Guide, offers exclusive content and an audio tour. Frieze Sculpture also forms part of London Sculpture Week, alongside notable exhibitions such as 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. 

Louise Nevelson, Model for Celebration II, 1976, Pace Gallery. Frieze Sculpture 2023. Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy of Linda Nylind/ Frieze.

Bermondsey Street Festival

The Bermondsey Street Festival is back this Saturday. Organised by local volunteers, the festival turns the street into a vibrant celebration with arts and crafts stalls, food vendors, and music performances.

Date: 21 September 2024. Time: Stalls: 11 AM - 5:30 PM; Music: 11 AM - 7 PM. Location: Bermondsey Street. bermondseystreetfestival.com.

London Design Festival 2024

The 22nd edition of the London Design Festival kicked off last week and runs until 22 September 2024. This year's festival features a wide range of landmark projects, exhibitions, workshops, and talks to explore across London. Click here for our top 20 must-see events and experiences at the London Design Festival 2024.

Click here for our top 20 picks of things to do and see at the London Design Festival 2024. Date: 14 - 22 September 2024. Location: Throughout London.

The Sun, My Heart by Marjan Van Aubel at Somerset House. Until 22 September 2024.Landmark Project for London Design Festival 2024. 

La traviata, The Royal Opera

Don’t miss your final chance to see Verdi’s La traviata at the Royal Opera House. This powerful production, conducted by Alexander Joel and Richard Hetherington, stars Aida Garifullina and Hrachuhí Bassénz as Violetta. Directed by Richard Eyre, it promises a visually stunning and emotionally intense experience.

Date: 7 September – 21 September 2024. Location: Main Stage, Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD. Price: from £12 - £245. Book now.

Ara Malikian

Lebanese-Armenian violinist Ara Malikian and his band present an eclectic evening of music that bridges classical and contemporary sounds. Performing material from his latest album, inspired by his son’s growth, Malikian’s bold, charismatic style spans genres from Bach to flamenco to Guns N' Roses. A sought-after musician, he has performed globally with artists like Sting and Fairuz, and with orchestras such as the London Chamber Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

Date: 22 September 2024. Time: 7.30pm. Location: Royal Festival Hall. Price:from £40. Book now.

Click here for more classical music concerts to explore at the Southbank Centre this autumn.

Ara Malikian. Image courtesy of the artist.

Future of Food Festival

The Future of Food festival returns from 16 to 22 September 2024, showcasing Central London’s vibrant culinary scene with a series of unique events. This year features a Discovery Zone for education and inspiration, plus month-long offers from Regent Street and St James’s retailers. The festival supports The Felix Project, a charity redistributing surplus food to those in need. For more details, visit Always Happening.

Date: 16 – 22 September 2024. Location: Regent Street and St James's. regentstreetonline.com.

Open House London 2024

This week is the final chance to explore some of London’s most iconic buildings with Open House London. Typically closed to the public, these dayarchitectural gems, private homes, museums, public buildings, and churches are open for free. This year, Open House has been extended beyond its usual weekend and will run until 22 September, offering over 700 open days and events across all 33 London boroughs. Don’t miss out!

Date: 14 - 22 September 2024. Location: Throughout London. Click here for more on locations to visit during Open House.

Negroni Week takes place from 16 - 22 September 2024. Photo by Marvin Meyers.

Negroni week

Negroni Week, launched by Imbibe Magazine in 2013, returns to London this week. The event celebrates the iconic cocktail while raising money for charity, having raised over $5 million globally. Each September, bars and restaurants serve classic Negronis and creative variations in support of good causes.

Date: 16 - 22 September 2024. Location: Click here to discover all the locations you can enjoy a Negroni in London this week.

Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION

Nigeria's QDance Company will make a vibrant UK debut, celebrating Nigerian music and culture. Featuring ten dancers and two musicians, the show will capture Lagos' energy through dance, music, fashion, and art. Blending Yoruba philosophy with modern youth culture, it will be set to the lively rhythms of Afrobeats. Led by artistic director Qudus Onikeku, QDance will bring an international edge to contemporary dance. After the performance, a live DJ set will feature African and diaspora sounds.

Date: 18 - 19 September 2024. Time: 7.30pm. Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £20. Book now.

Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION. Image by Herve Veronese.

Great River Race

As part of the Totally Thames Festival, the Great River Race will take place this weekend, running upstream from London Docklands to Ham. The 21-mile race attracts over 330 crews from around the world, ranging from serious athletes to those participating in fun, fancy dress, and charity stunts. Chiswick Pier is a a prime viewing spot, where the first boats are expected to pass around 15.30pm. They will have refreshments, including coffee, cakes, and drinks, will be available from 8am onwards.

Date: 21 September 2024. Race time: from 1.15pm. Location: Chiswick Pier, The Pier House, Corney Reach Way, Chiswick, London W4 2UG. greatriverrace.org.uk.

Arts & Culture

Opening this week

Michael Craig-Martin

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.

Michael Craig-Martin. Common History: Conference, 1999, Acrylic on canvas. 274 x 508 cm. Courtesy Gagosian. © Michael Craig-Martin. Image courtesy Gagosian.

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears 

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum's upcoming commission at The Curve will feature a diverse array of drawings, paintings, and installations, exploring themes of home, hybrid identities, and unity. Inspired by her experiences across Africa, South Asia, and North America, Sunstrum collaborates with Remco Osório Lobato to create an installation that transports visitors to an imagined rural life of a twentieth-century colonial outpost, loosely based on her grandmother's hometown in Botswana.

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

Yelena Popova: Of Dust and Breath

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.

Of Dust and Breath by Yelena Popova at IONE & MANN. Image by Matt Spour, Courtesy of IONE & MANN.

Lap-See Lam

Marking Lap-See Lam's UK debut, this exhibition at Studio Voltaire follows her presentation at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. Inspired by the 'Sea Palace', a haunted funhouse once a floating Chinese restaurant, Lam delves into cultural heritage and diasporic identity. The showcase includes a new film intertwining the restaurant's history with Cantonese Opera themes, alongside a large-scale bamboo scaffolding installation. 

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

Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end

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.

Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas

Marlene Dumas’s Mourning Marsyas, currently on display at Frith Street Gallery, delves into themes of grief and displacement, combining elements of chance and intention. Drawing inspiration from the myth of Marsyas in Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, Dumas reflects on the nature of artistic freedom and the cruelty of unjust revenge. The exhibition features raw, emotionally charged imagery, addressing both political and personal struggles. Additionally, it examines Dumas’s 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. 

#FLOFavourites: This week

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers

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.

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

Rana Begum

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.

Eva Rothschild

Modern Art presents Eva Rothschild’s latest exhibition, featuring her sculptural work that explores themes of accumulation and transformation. The show includes Tribute, a series of steel rebar and cast concrete sculptures resembling contemporary ruins, and Drift, a large-scale installation engaging with discarded consumer objects. Rothschild combines traditional and modern materials, such as bronze, concrete, and rebar, to examine the impact of architecture and the power of objects.

Date: 5 – 28 September  2024  Location: Modern Art, 4-8 Helmet Row, London, EC1V 3QJ. Price: Free. modernart.net.

Eva Rothschild’s latest exhibition at Modern Art. Photo by MTotoe.

Joseph Awuah-Darko: How Is Your Day Going?

Ed Cross presents Joseph Awuah-Darko's first solo exhibition in London. Following his 2024 residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Awuah-Darko continues his Days series with new works featuring biomorphic forms set against vibrant colour bands. The latest pieces draw inspiration from Ghanaian Kente cloth and Atta Kwami's paintings, incorporating a palette of pale blue, luminous orange, deep mauve, and claret-clear red.

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

Urs Fischer: Scratch and Sniff

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.

Slawn

Olaolu Slawn, a Lagos-born artist known for merging street art with Abstract Expressionism, explores themes of politics, race, and identity through his work, rooted in Yoruba heritage. His artistic journey began at Nigeria’s Wafflesncream skate shop, led to co-founding the apparel group Motherlan, and transitioned to painting during the 2020 London lockdown. His debut exhibition at Truman Brewery in 2021 highlighted his unique approach. Slawn's latest exhibition, Slawn, is currently on display at Saatchi Yates.

Date: 12 September - 20 October 2024. Location: Saatchi Yates, 14 Bury St, London SW1Y 6AL.

Hew Locke: Family Album

Hales presents Family Album, a solo exhibition by Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke. This show, Locke's sixth with the gallery, features new and historical works focusing on royal iconography. It includes pieces from his renowned The House of Windsor and Souvenirs series, exploring themes of power and empire through detailed cardboard sculptures and adorned busts. The exhibition runs concurrently with Locke’s What Have We Here? at the British Museum, opening in October 2024, and precedes his expansive survey at the Yale Center for British Art in autumn 2025.

Date: 13 September - 2 November 2024. Location: Hales gallery, Tea Building, 7 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6LA. Price: Free. halesgallery.com.

Unity Hall, KNUST, Kumasi by John Owuso Addo and Miro Marasović - film still from Tropical Modernism Architecture and Independence, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Last chance

Tropical Modernism

Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence examines the style pioneered by Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew in post-World War II West Africa and India. Stemming from British colonial influence, this minimalist architectural approach, tailored for tropical climates, became a symbol of progress and cultural independence for newly liberated nations.

Date: 2 March  – 22 September 2024. Location: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. Price: from £14. Book now.

Cinema

The Outrun (15) (AD) + ScreenTalk with Nora Fingscheidt, Sarah Brocklehurst and Amy Liptrot

The Outrun, starring Saoirse Ronan, is a gripping drama about addiction and recovery set in the Orkney Islands. Based on Amy Liptrot's best-selling memoir, the film explores the healing power of the sea and the land. It follows 29-year-old Rona, who returns home to Orkney sober but lonely, and gradually finds hope and strength through the island's mystical landscape. The event includes a ScreenTalk with Reclaim the Frame, the director, and the producer.

Date: 19 September 2024. Time: 6:20pm. Location: Cinema 1, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £13 +BF. Book now.

film still from The Outrun. Studiocanal/ YouTube.

#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week

FREE EVENT OF THE WEEK  

Digital Design Weekend 2024

Digital Design Weekend 2024 takes place this weekend at the V&A South Kensington. This free event features workshops, immersive experiences, and demonstrations exploring art, design, and technology. With 25 exhibitors, visitors can enjoy interactive installations, robotics, creative electronics, and family-friendly activities. Most events are suitable for all ages, and while entry is free, some activities may have limited space, so early arrival is recommended.

Date: 20 - 22 September 2024. Location: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. Price: Free. vam.ac.uk.

Interview of the week 

In conversation with Kinnari Saraiya

Kinnari Saraiya.

Kinnari Saraiya is a London-based Indian artist, curator, and researcher whose work focuses on trans-altern and post-humanist ideas from the Global South. She is currently a curator at Somerset House and has held positions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Frieze Art Fair, and Bowes Museum. Saraiya is also a guest curator at arebyte Gallery, where she is working on the immersive exhibition Fragments of a Panorama by Indian transmedia artists Murthovic and Thiruda.

Click here to read the full interview.

Bar of the week

Camus x Gothic Bar

Luxury cognac brand Camus has partnered with Gothic Bar at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel for a three-month pop-up starting 9 September. The collaboration features a cocktail menu by bar manager Jack Porter, inspired by Jules Verne’s novels and showcasing Camus cognacs. Highlights include the Five Weeks in a Balloon cocktail, Journey to the Centre of the Earth with a unique ice cube, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Camus Ile de Ré. The pop-up also includes events during London Cocktail Week and a bar takeover in November.

Location: Gothic Bar, St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd., London NW1 2AR. gothicbar.london.

Gothic Bar at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Photo by MTotoe.

Cause of the week 

City Harvest London

City Harvest London.

City Harvest London

City Harvest London is a fast-paced food redistribution charity that rescues surplus food and delivers it to over 350 charities across London, free of charge. With the cost-of-living crisis leaving 1 in 4 Londoners struggling to afford food, City Harvest's work is vital. London produces nearly 2 million tonnes of food waste annually, and City Harvest prevents nutritious food from going to waste. Volunteers are crucial to the charity’s success, as each hour volunteered helps deliver enough food for 530 meals. Without volunteers, City Harvest would not be able to achieve this impact.

 Click here to find out more about volunteering with city harvest.

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