What's on in London this week: 22 - 28 April 2024

Discover our pick of events in London this week: 22 – 28 April 2024.

Much Ado About Nothing

This week, catch Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe Theatre. Set in a serene Italian town post-war, the play explores the intertwining lives of Claudio, Hero, Beatrice, and Benedick. Amidst playful antics and romantic twists, love emerges as the focal point as the characters navigate the ups and downs of relationships in this captivating tale.

Date: 25 April – 24 August 2024. Location: Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT. Price: from £10 (standing). From £25 (seated). Book now.

Much Ado About Nothing. © The Other Richard.

Brick Lane Jazz Festival

Experience the vibrant energy of the Brick Lane Jazz Festival, a three-day celebration across 10 music venues in and around Brick Lane, showcasing London's diverse music scene. Enjoy an eclectic lineup spanning jazz, hip hop, Latin, neo soul, R&B, reggae, and electronic music, featuring acclaimed artists like Oscar Jerome, Theo Croker, Ojerime, and more. Plus, don't miss out on exciting DJ sets and special events like ‘Way Out East’ Jazz-Dance with The Mighty Zaf & Harv-inder Singh.

Date: 26 – 28 April 2024. Location: Brick Lane. Price: from £34.50. Book now.

Hampton Court Tulip Festival

Final chance to experience the beauty of spring at Hampton Court Palace during the Tulip Festival. Explore the royal gardens with over 100,000 tulip bulbs in bloom, including rare varieties inspired by Mary II's collection.

Date: 8 April - 29 April 2024. Location: Hampton Court Palace, Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU. Price: from £27.20 adult/ £13.60 child. Book now.

Chelsea Physic Garden. Photo by MTotoe.

Chelsea Physic Garden Plant Festival

Explore the vibrant Chelsea Physic Garden's plant festival, where over 30 stalls showcase a diverse selection of plants perfect for your home or garden. Engage in captivating demonstrations, including flower crown-making and candle making. Browse stalls from renowned names like Capital Gardens and Claire’s Chilis, as well as boutique offerings from Buzz Therapi and Nourish, featuring beauty and home items. Treat yourself to food from Cheese and Pie Man and Jeraboams. While timed tickets for the events have sold out, walk-ins are welcomed on the day.

Date: 27 April 2024.Time: 10am - 5pm. Location: Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Rd, London SW3 4HS. Website: chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk.

In The Round Festival
The seventh edition of the In The Round Festival is back, featuring a lineup of both emerging and renowned artists. Set on a distinctive circular stage, the festival offers intimate performances not to be missed. Experience shows by Tirzah, Vashti Bunyan, and Lonnie Holley, along with a special tribute honouring Joni Mitchell's 80th birthday. This tribute features Emeli Sandé, Sam Amidon, Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), and is hosted by Cerys Matthews. Click here for the full line-up of events.

Date: 24 April 2024 – 27 April 2024. Location: Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH.

Ray Young: OUT 

Ray Young's award-winning production OUT fearlessly tackles homophobia and transphobia, celebrating Caribbean culture through a unique queer perspective. Opening at the Lilian Baylis Studio this week, OUT promises a bold reclamation of dancehall and social dance culture, blending personal, political, and cultural elements into a powerful interdisciplinary performance. Featuring compelling performances by Azara Meghie and Bambi Jordan Phillips, under Ray Young's visionary direction and supported by a talented creative team, this transformative experience challenges boundaries and amplifies marginalised voices.

Date: 25 - 26 April 2024. Location: Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells 183 Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TJ. Price: £17. Book now.

Wellness

Sunrise Yoga at Art’otel Battersea

Sunrise Yoga returns to art'otel with a rejuvenating rooftop session overlooking Battersea, led by Jinis. Reconnect mind, body, and spirit in the tranquil morning ambiance, then treat yourself to a delightful indulgence at Tozi Counter afterward.

Date: Every Friday 26 April 2024 - 31 May 2024. Location: art'otel London Battersea Power Station, 1 Electric Blvd, Nine Elms, London SW11 8BJ. Price: £40. Book now.

Walthamstow Wetlands. Photo by MTotoe.

London Green Spaces

Walthamstow Wetlands

As summer approaches in London, Walthamstow Wetlands is a must-visit green space in the city. This expansive reserve, serving as a crucial water source for 3.5 million people, offers a perfect nature retreat. Managed by Thames Water and opened to the public in 2017, this 211-hectare site is Europe's largest urban wetland reserve. Brimming with diverse wildlife, including rare bird species and peregrine falcons, it features varied habitats and beautiful views of London. Recognised for its ecological significance, it holds prestigious designations like Site of Special Scientific Interest and Ramsar site. The Engine House Café offers a picturesque setting to enjoy coffee and treats after exploring the wetlands.

Location: Walthamstow Wetlands, 2 Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, N17 9NH. Opening hours: October - March: 9:30am - 4pm, April - September: 9:30am - 5pm. Price: Free. Instagram: @walthamstowwetlands.

Arts & Culture

Opening this week

Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider

Tate Modern's upcoming exhibition, Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider, explores the influential circle of early 20th-century artists. Led by figures like Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter, the Blue Rider collective aimed to transcend borders through art. The exhibition will showcase their diverse perspectives, innovative approaches, and lasting legacy, providing insight into their transformative impact on modernist art.

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

Silent Testimony by Colin Davidson on display at the National Portrait Gallery.

Colin Davidson: Silent Testimony

Silent Testimony is a collection of 18 large-scale portraits by Belfast-born artist Colin Davidson. Painted between 2014 and 2015, these portraits share a theme of loss and aim to depict the personal stories and experiences of individuals impacted by the Troubles, a 30-year period of conflict in Northern Ireland. Each portrait represents a sitter who has experienced personal loss, reflecting the ongoing impact of the conflict on individuals and communities in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Date: 22 April 2024 - 23 February 2025. Location: Room 14, Floor 3, National Portrait Gallery,St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE. Website: npg.org.uk.

#FLOFAVOURITES: THIS WEEK 

Sofía Salazar Rosales: 'Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad, Pero allá, tal como aquí, En la boca llevarás, Sabor a mí

Alice Amati introduces Sofía Salazar Rosales's solo exhibition entitled Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad, Pero allá, tal como aquí, En la boca llevarás, Sabor a mí. Rosales, originally from Ecuador, explores themes of 'fantasmas' through sculpture, installation, and architecture. Her pieces transcend traditional categorisations, weaving together historical and contemporary narratives. Like the patina on walls, each artwork accumulates, transforms, and evolves, inviting viewers to discover the hidden intricacies of our surroundings.

Date: 17 April – 25 May 2024. Location: Alice Amati, 27 Warren Street, W1T 5NB. Price: Free.

Devlin Carlo: My Sorry Ass

Photographer Devlin Carlo’s debut solo show My Sorry Ass is on display at Qrystal Partners. Devlin's photography delves into American culture, blurring the lines between posed imagery and documentation. Exploring the concept of reality versus fiction in photography, he views his works as glimpses into an alternate timeline. My Sorry Ass focuses on the outer boroughs of New York, particularly Queens, portraying semi-fictional scenes that encapsulate the American condition. For Devlin, Queens serves as a microcosm of modern America, showcasing both its successes and failures.

Date: until 25 May 2024. Location: Qrystal Partners,  7 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6ED. Price: Free.

Marc Camille Chaimowicz at Cabinet Gallery, Vauxhall. Photo by MTotoe.

Marc Camille Chaimowicz

Blending sculpture, performance, installation, architecture, and more, Chaimowicz merges art with design, spanning fashion, textiles, and decoration. His works challenge social taboos and redefine the significance of applied arts and domestic interiors.

Date: 17 April - 18 May 2024. Location: C A B I N E T, 132 Tyers Street, London SE11 5HS. Price: Free.

Ted Pim: Never Odd or Even

Never Odd or Even is Ted Pim’s second solo exhibition at Almine Rech London. Pim's paintings explore mirrors as portals to other realms, drawing on mythology and art history. He repurposes Old Masters paintings, abstracting them through duplication and merging identical forms. This exhibition suggests that transformation is not about new material but altering what exists, reflecting the cyclical nature of existence.

Date: 11 April - 18 May 2024. Location: Almine Rech,Broadbent House, Grosvenor Hill, London W1K 3JH. Price: Free.

Barbara Kruger

Spruth Magers is currently presenting an exhibition of new works by Kruger at their Grafton St gallery. Barbara Kruger's distinctive and incisive art delves into the intersections of image and word, addressing themes of control, class, corruption, and consumerism. Her influence on visual culture extends beyond the art world, spanning over four decades. The exhibition features Kruger's latest text-based wall works and vinyl series, juxtaposed with "paste-ups" from the 1980s, offering insight into her early and renowned pieces.

Date:12 Apr 2024 – 18 May 2024. Location: Sprueth Magers Gallery, 7A Grafton St, London W1S 4EL. Price: Free.

In House: Juliette Ezaoui and Ana Milenkovic at Studio Voltaire. Photo by MTotoe.

In House: Juliette Ezaoui and Ana Milenkovic

In House: Juliette Ezaoui and Ana Milenkovic is the second duo exhibition at Studio Voltaire, showcasing their collaboration on the interplay between micro and macro perspectives. Through drawing, sculpture, and installation, they explore the relationship between human design and mundane realities, inviting viewers to reconsider their surroundings.

Date: 17 April–16 June 2024. Location: Studio Voltaire,1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR. Price: Free. Website: studiovoltaire.org.

 

#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week

FREE EVENTS OF THE WEEK

V&A Museum Friday Late: Feminist Futures

The Friday Late event centres on feminism, featuring artists, performers, and collectives who delve into alternative pathways of feminism through sensory experiences, healing practices, activism, and ancestral stories. Its goal is to expand feminist networks of support beyond traditional confines and to honour methods of bolstering assistance for marginalised communities. Furthermore, certain activations are designed in response to a co-curated exhibition between the V&A and the South London Gallery titled Acts of Resistance: Photography, Feminisms and the Art of Protest, currently on display at the South London Gallery.

Date: 26 April 2024. Time: 6.30pm – 10pm. Location: V&A Museum Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. Price: Free.

Sethembile Msezane, Chapungu – The Day Rhodes Fell, 2015. Photo: Courtesy of the Artist.

Food of the week

Wolfox at LOAFT

If you have a passion for interiors and coffee, Wolfox's new café is a must-visit. Tucked inside the chic LOAFT shop in Covent Garden, this café offers a tempting array of pastries, from flaky croissants to heavenly banana bread cake, alongside a selection of coffees and teas. The LOAFT store prides itself on its 'slow living design vision', characterised by neutral colour palettes, natural materials, and a minimalist aesthetic.

Location: WOLFOX at LOAFT, 53 Shelton St, London WC2H 9JU. Instagram: @loaft.uk.

SMOKESTAK is teaming up with the Wasted Wine Club to launch SMOKESTAK RED, their own signature wine this week.

SMOKESTAK x Wasted Wine Club

SMOKESTAK, a Shoreditch restaurant, is teaming up with the Wasted Wine Club to launch SMOKESTAK RED, their own signature wine. It's a blend of Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah, and Pinotage sourced from organic vineyards in South Africa's Swartland region, crafted by renowned winemaker Jurgen Gouws. This collaboration marks the Wasted Wine Club's first with a restaurant. The launch event on 30 April will feature a South African-style braai and special dishes to celebrate this exciting partnership.

Location: SMOKESTAK 35 Sclater St Shoreditch London, E1 6LB. Instagram: @smokestakUK. Website: smokestak.co.uk.

Interview of the Week

In conversation with Lily Lewis

Lily Lewis. Photo by Justin Goff.

Lily Lewis is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist based in London. Drawing inspiration from the human experience, she explores narratives through various mediums such as painting, poetry, sculpture, tapestry, and performance. Her work often reflects themes of childhood innocence and the human condition.

Click here for the full interview.

Cause of the week

Brixton Soup Kitchen

Brixton Soup Kitchen, located in Brixton, provides essential services for the homeless and those in need from London and surrounding areas. They rely on donations and volunteers to sustain their work, offering hot meals, support, and counselling. They have two types of volunteers: role-specific volunteers and one-off volunteers. Click here for more information on how you can contribute.

Instagram: @brixtonsoupkitchen.