Prepare for a whirlwind art extravaganza as London Gallery Weekend rolls into town! This year’s edition boasts 130 participating galleries, each flinging open doors with free admission. It’s all about building community among galleries and artists while making contemporary art accessible to everyone.
The brainchild of a post-COVID-19 revival effort, London Gallery Weekend was launched to breathe life back into the art market and boost cultural tourism. And it worked like a charm! Now in its fourth year, this event has expanded its scope and ambition, drawing in more galleries and a growing international crowd. Expect a jam-packed schedule featuring exhibitions, insightful talks, guided tours, and special events with top-notch artists, curators, and critics.
This weekend-long bonanza kicks off from Friday, 31 May to Sunday, 2 June 2024, showcasing the very best of London’s vibrant and varied gallery scene. Each day is dedicated to a different area: Central London on Friday, South London on Saturday, and the East End on Sunday. So, whether you’re an art lover or just curious, there’s plenty to see and do.
Mark your calendars – galleries will be open from 11 am to 6 pm on Friday and Saturday and from 12 pm to 5 pm on Sunday. With over 70 free events, including public art and performances, this is your chance to dive deep into London’s dynamic art world. Admission is free, so grab your friends and make a weekend of it!
Take advantage of this highlight of the capital’s cultural calendar. London Gallery Weekend is your ticket to exploring the city’s most exciting contemporary art and connecting with a community as passionate about art as you are.
London Gallery Weekend Recommendations
Kiki Kogelnik: The Dance Late artist Kiki Kogelnik’s vibrant paintings and sculptures, featuring floating female silhouettes and celestial orbs, captivate with bold billboard appeal. Yet, a closer look reveals a fragmented humanity at risk in a technological world. The exhibition delves into space travel’s potential for freedom and alarm, with outlines of people cut from smooth vinyl and bodies adorned with kitschy love hearts. Take advantage of the special tour led by Polish artist Paulina Olowska, a fan of Kogelnik’s work. Pace Gallery, W1, until 3 August
Matthew Barney: Secondary: Light Lens Parallax Matthew Barney’s film Secondary and its accompanying exhibitions span four galleries worldwide, showcasing his exploration of bodily extremes through dancers interpreting a 1978 American football tragedy. The film and new sculptures, riffing on athletic forms, underscore the frailty of sports stars’ bodies. Look out for spine-like ceramics and power racks echoing the struggle between football players. Sadie Coles HQ, W1, until 27 July
Nan Goldin: Sisters, Saints, Sibyls In the evocative setting of Soho’s deconsecrated Welsh Chapel, Nan Goldin’s three-channel film from 2004 explores her sister’s troubled youth and suicide. Beginning with Saint Barbara’s martyrdom, the work contrasts with Goldin’s sister Barbara’s institutionalised life and death at 18. A poignant study of secular martyrdom and cultural misunderstanding. The Welsh Chapel, 83 Charing Cross Road, WC2, 30 May to 23 June
Nil Yalter: In the Land of the Troubadours: This octogenarian Paris-based Turkish artist, a lifetime achievement award recipient at this year’s Venice Biennale, explores exile and immigration. Complementing a survey of her works, Yalter will stage her first live performance with Anatolian bards, honouring poet and folk singer Nesimi Çimen, killed in the 1993 Sivas massacre. The event features poetry, music, and a talk with the artist. Halkevi – Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre, E8, 2 June
Otobong Nkanga: We Come from Fire and Return to Fire Environmental artist Otobong Nkanga’s U.K. solo debut introduces her holistic vision across tapestry, sculpture, and sound. The exhibition features towers of raku-fired ceramics suggesting burned trees, herbal remedies in hand-blown vials, and ritual offerings, highlighting ecological devastation and potential renewal. Lisson Gallery, NW1, until 3 August
Michaël Borremans: The Monkey
David Zwirner, W1, Opening London Gallery Weekend, 31 May–2 June; exhibition dates: 6 June–26 July
Belgian maestro Michaël Borremans returns with “The Monkey,” exploring the absurd and romantic through exquisite painting. His new works, inspired by an 18th-century porcelain monkey from the Rococo period, satirise human society with nods to Chardin and Watteau. Don’t miss this witty, art historical romp that questions the artist’s role today.
Jacqueline de Jong: La petite mort Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, 31 May–6 July
Dive into the bold world of Jacqueline de Jong, a powerhouse since the ’60s. Her latest exhibition, “La petite mort,” reflects contemporary conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza with her signature expressive figuration. Featuring pieces from her iconic Suicide and Accidental Paintings, de Jong’s work merges her activist past with today’s turbulent landscape.
John Baldessari: Ahmedabad 1992 Sprüth Magers, 31 May–27 July
Experience the legendary John Baldessari’s “Ahmedabad 1992,” created during his stay at the iconic Villa Sarabhai. This series of mixed-media assemblages captures the essence of Ahmedabad through Baldessari’s lens, blending photographs, adapted objects, and paintings on rubber. It’s a must-see documentary series that showcases his unique take on the everyday life of the Indian metropolis.
Ithell Colquhoun: Elemental Ben Hunter, 31 May–26 July
Get a taste of Surrealist and occultist Ithell Colquhoun’s mystical world at “Elemental.” Featuring works from her entire career, including a 1929 self-portrait and elemental landscapes from the 1960s- 70s, this exhibition highlights her deep connection to automatist techniques and eroticism—a perfect primer before her major Tate St Ives show next year.
Erin Manning: 100 Acres Richard Saltoun Gallery, 31 May–22 June
Step into Erin Manning’s tactile “100 Acres” installation at Richard Saltoun Gallery. Known for her work with The 3ecologies Project, Manning’s monumental textiles evoke the forest, aiming to reconnect us with nature. Her knotted, tufted, and sewn threads offer a sensory experience that echoes her environmental and artistic mission.
Kenturah Davis: Clouds Stephen Friedman Gallery, 31 May–20 July
Los Angeles-based artist Kenturah Davis makes her London debut with “Clouds.” Her work blends text and drawing and reflects cultural and scientific ideas referencing Toni Morrison and Saidiya Hartman. Davis’s exquisite grids of figures in motion and powdered indigo cloud studies make this a thought-provoking exhibition you can’t miss.
Jodie Carey: Guard Edel Assanti, 30 May–23 August
Jodie Carey’s “Guard” at Edel Assanti presents sentinel-like sculptures inspired by flowers. Through earth-casting, Carey transforms plants into ghostly, shrouded forms that challenge traditional monumental sculpture. Her work, imbued with spectral strangeness, redefines floral symbolism in art, evoking memory and national identity themes.
Mohammed Z Rahman: A Flame is a Petal Phillida Reid, 31 May-13 July
London-born and based, Mohammed Z Rahman has a distinctive narrative figurative painting style that alludes to personal and cultural memory and history while looking back to historical periods of Western and non-Western art. Spaghetti House is their largest painting to date. It reflects a playful moment of imagination with their niece—picturing the pasta abode of the title—and a tribute to childhood innocence amid current and ongoing socio-political contexts. It draws on the continuous narratives and domestic scenes in Mughal and Flemish paintings. Also, here are festivals and stage-set panels depicting communal scenes drawing on Rahman’s experiences, including Diwali celebrations and a patio barbeque.
Marcus Jefferson: Free Cuzzy – Harlesden High Street, 31 May-30 June
Marcus Jefferson’s largely conceptual practice is informed by his experience in north London, exploring urban everyday life, particularly the culture and language around trap music, a distinctive form of hip hop. He uses domestic and commonplace materials and manipulates them in various ways that transform their function and meaning. “Free Cuzzy” is slang used to express solidarity with people in prison, and among the works that feature in the exhibition are wall works that contain prisoner badge numbers and pieces featuring lottery tickets, which were once used as the wraps for cocaine deliveries in middle-class London neighbourhoods.
East
Magda Stawarska: DRIFT – Yamamoto Keiko Rochaix Gallery, 1 June–6 July
Dive into the hypnotic world of Magda Stawarska at “DRIFT.” This exhibition features ten new works across various media, from painting to slide projections, split across the gallery’s upper and lower floors. Stawarska’s installations, with their rhythmic over-layerings of patterned wallpapers, printed linen, and abstract images, evoke the ebb and flow of cityscapes. It’s a visual journey through memory, movement, and the atmospheric residues of our urban environments.
Hannah Starkey – Maureen Paley, until 14 July 2024
Hannah Starkey’s latest show at Maureen Paley captures moments of private reflection and everyday interactions among women. Known for her large-scale photographs, Starkey worked with female students in Wakefield to create images of young women photographing each other. Using windows and mirrors, she fragments and disrupts the viewer’s gaze, with her reflection making a rare appearance, complicating the perspective. Also, see Daniel Correa Mejia’s new series of dreamlike landscapes at Paley’s Studio M.
Dean Sameshima: Being Alone – Soft Opening, until 8 June
Step into “Being Alone” by Dean Sameshima at the Soft Opening. This series of 25 black-and-white photographs, taken covertly in Berlin’s adult cinemas, depicts solitary viewers bathed in the screen’s glow. With no identifying features shown, these images capture the isolation and anonymity of queer spaces. It’s a powerful exploration of desire and absence, showing for the first time in its entirety.
BLCKGEEZER: Black Nausea / 24 Alma Pearl, until 22 June
Alma Pearl debuts its first London Gallery Weekend with BLCKGEEZER’s powerful monochrome paintings in “Black Nausea / 24.” Made after a personal battle with illness, these works explore Black as a material, state, colour, mood, and abstraction site. The term “Black Nausea,” coined by the artist after chemotherapy, encapsulates the discomfort and the speculative space of being. It’s a rich, complex exhibition with a physical and conceptual punch.
Judith Bernstein: TRUTH AND CHAOS – Emalin, until 15 June
Judith Bernstein returns to London with “TRUTH AND CHAOS,” spanning over 30 years of provocative practice. Featuring historical works from her Word Drawings series and her iconic Screw drawings, these pieces are fierce symbols of the male psyche and its consequences. Bernstein’s work, marked by feminist rage and a history of censorship, is a must-see.
Adriano Costa: ax-d. us. t.- Emalin, Clerk’s House, until 13 July
Over at Emalin’s Clerk’s House, Brazilian artist Adriano Costa presents “ax-d. us. t.,” blurring the lines between trash and treasure. Costa casts bronze sculptures from discarded moulds in his Sao Paulo foundry, creating pieces that transform the throwaway into the precious. It’s a compelling exhibition that redefines value and beauty in art.
South
Jade de Montserrat: In Defence of Our Lives- Bosse & Baum, 31 May–15 June
Jade de Montserrat returns with “In Defence of Our Lives,” her second solo show at Bosse & Baum. This powerful exhibition features works on paper that blend text and fractured body images to explore themes of exploitation, reproductive justice, race, and trauma. De Montserrat’s collage-like pieces, including handmade books and filmed performances, directly engage the viewer. The standout piece, named after the exhibition, overlays text against the colours of the Palestinian flag, symbolising solidarity with oppressed peoples worldwide.
Harminder Judge: Ghost Dance – The Sunday Painter and Matts Gallery, both until 7 July
Harminder Judge’s “Ghost Dance” spans two South London galleries, The Sunday Painter and Matts Gallery. Drawing from funeral rites and spiritual ceremonies, including the Indigenous American Ghost Dance, Judge uses pigmented plaster to explore life, death, and rebirth. Matt Gallery’s monumental installation of material and colour engulfs the space, complemented by new semi-figurative sculptures reminiscent of funeral urns and totems. Meanwhile, The Sunday Painter features more minor works and a dramatic new sculpture, reflecting Western Modernism, Indian Tantric painting, and Punjab funeral traditions.
Intension (the concept ‘dog’ encapsulates its ‘dogness’) – Copperfield, 1 June–22 July
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Copperfield presents a provocative exhibition on neurodiversity. From bronze tongues to biro sculptures and performances involving melted chocolate, the show highlights the strengths and challenges of neurodiversity. Featuring works by Alberta Whittle, Larry Achiampong, Becky Beasley, and Elsa James, the exhibition celebrates different ways of thinking as intrinsic to creativity, offering a unique exploration of exceptional abilities.
Sophie Goodchild: The Sand in the Pearl – Trafalgar Avenue, until 22 June
Sophie Goodchild’s “The Sand in the Pearl” at Trafalgar Avenue envelops viewers in felt tapestries that create imaginary landscapes inspired by early motherhood. These richly textured works, crafted by hand and machine, reference natural phenomena and biological processes. From storms and whirlpools to breastfeeding and fossilisation, Goodchild’s art merges personal motherhood experiences with universal maternal archetypes, offering a deeply immersive and nurturing environment.
Tim Garwood: Loud It Up – Sim Smith, until 15 June
Tim Garwood’s “Loud It Up” at Sim Smith is a vibrant explosion of colour and texture. Known for incorporating materials from his surroundings, Garwood’s new paintings reflect his rural Somerset environment. Embedding locally sourced dried flowers, wood, and plant fronds into his paint surfaces, he continues pushing the boundaries of his painterly language, creating works as bold and dynamic as their urban predecessors.
Laurence Sturla: Went to Country – Project Native Informant, until 29 June
Laurence Sturla’s “Went to Country” at Project Native Informant features three wall-mounted sculptures resembling oversized torsos. These works merge multiple sources, from quarry infographics to anatomical models, creating forms that feel both familiar and elusive. Inspired by clay mining in Cornwall, the sculptures undergo a meticulous process involving cutting, firing, and dipping in ceramic slurry. The resulting crumbling, rusted surfaces evoke a sense of excavation and discovery.
Brianna Leatherbury: Survival Bias – Brunette Coleman, 31 May–6 July
Brianna Leatherbury’s first U.K. solo show at Brunette Coleman delves into geopolitics and the ‘cold chain’ of global food preservation. Transforming part of the gallery into a walk-in cold room, Leatherbury’s sculptures, including copper-plated personal objects, explore preservation politics. The “Survival Bias” exhibition refers to a logical fallacy, highlighting the complex interplay between preservation and value through conceptually charged, materially alluring works.
Adam Rouhana: Before Freedom Pt. 2 – TJ Boulting, 1–22 June
Adam Rouhana’s “Before Freedom Pt. 2” at TJ Boulting offers a poignant look at Palestinian-American life through photography. Curated by Lobna Sana, the exhibition features new and unseen works capturing moments of occupation, resistance, and everyday joy. Rouhana’s photographs convey both the harsh realities and resilient spirit of Palestinian communities, from children playing near the separation wall to intimate portraits of family life.
Yi To: Four Legs Good, Two Legs Evil – Alice Amati, 31 May–6 July
Yi To’s “Four Legs Good, Two Legs Evil” by Alice Amati explores perception in a world of blurred boundaries. Her paintings, taking months to years to complete, feature figurative elements emerging from muted colour fields. Accompanying sculptural works, like a T.V. aerial with legs, highlight the intersection of objects and bodies. To’s art challenges visibility and familiarity, creating a compelling narrative of mediated perception.
Nil Yalter: Topak Ev – Ab-Anbar, 30 May–10 August
Nil Yalter’s “Topak Ev” at Ab-Anbar offers a deep dive into the artist’s exploration of language, storytelling, and music since the 1970s. Övül Ö curates them. Durmuşoğlu, the exhibition includes film, photography, mixed media, and a serpentine painting. Yalter’s works trace connections between Byzantine iconography, Suprematism, and Aşık poetry, highlighting journeys across policed borders and political exiles. A musical performance celebrating Aşık traditions complements the exhibition during London Gallery Weekend.
Ten More Suggestions:
London Gallery Weekend 2024: Must-See Shows
Harmony Korine: “AGGRESSIVE DR1FTER Part II” Hauser & Wirth, through 17 July
Known for his cult film Kids and provocative movies like Gummo and Spring Breakers, Harmony Korine is back with his second art exhibition at Hauser & Wirth. “AGGRESSIVE DR1FTER Part II” showcases intense, chaotic painted stills from his 2023 film Aggo Dr1ft, featuring a hitman’s relentless pursuit. Expect violent, hyper-masculine undertones and a raw, cinematic energy.
Michaël Borremans: “The Monkey” David Zwirner, June 6 – July 26
Step into Michaël Borremans’s surreal world at David Zwirner’s first London exhibition since 2015. “The Monkey” features new enigmatic paintings of porcelain monkeys in uncanny scenes, reflecting the artist’s role in contemporary art. Borremans’s dark, seductive oil paintings will captivate and unsettle you equally.
Kenturah Davis: “Clouds” Stephen Friedman Gallery, 31 May – 20 July
Kenturah Davis debuts her U.K. solo with “Clouds” at Stephen Friedman Gallery. This exhibition features hand-drawn portraits and indigo pigment cloud drawings, all intricately debossed with text. Davis’s work is a masterful blend of movement, energy, and intellectual depth, drawing on dance, physics, and the African diaspora.
Boscoe Holder and Geoffrey Holder: “Boscoe Holder | Geoffrey Holder” Victoria Miro, 1 June – 27 July
Victoria Miro brings together the works of Trinidadian brothers Boscoe and Geoffrey Holder for the first time. Explore Boscoe’s evocative male nudes and Geoffrey’s vibrant nightclub scenes, celebrating their multidisciplinary painting, dance, and acting talents. A retrospective that shines a light on their overlooked contributions to art and culture.
Harminder Judge: “A Ghost Dance” The Sunday Painter & Matt’s Gallery, through 7 July
Experience Harminder Judge’s mesmerising “A Ghost Dance” across two South London galleries. Inspired by ghosts, spirits, and funeral traditions, Judge’s shimmering plaster works blend Western modernism with Indian neo-tantric influences. They are a haunting exploration of life, death, and the spiritual realm.
Hannah Levy: “Bulge” MASSIMO DE CARLO, through 22 July
Step into Hannah Levy’s unsettling world at MASSIMODECARLO. “Bulge” features humanoid and arachnid sculptures that push the boundaries of design and functionality. Set in a historic building, Levy’s eerie creations blend with and disrupt their surroundings, creating a unique, thought-provoking experience.
Carole Gibbons: “Of Silence and Slow Time” Hales Gallery, 30 May – 13 July
Discover the evocative still-life paintings of Carole Gibbons at Hales Gallery. Once a prominent figure, Gibbons’s work fell into obscurity until recently. This exhibition features her mid-70s to mid-80s pieces, rich with Greek myth and cherished objects, offering a glimpse into her atmospheric, contemplative world.
Klodin Erb: “Klodin Erb” Bernheim, May 31 – July 19
Swiss artist Klodin Erb takes centre stage at Bernheim’s London gallery with fantastical mermaids and symbolic landscapes. Her vivid paintings highlight themes of transformation and nature, drawing attention to the climate crisis while imagining an alternative, vibrant future.
Fani Parali: “Children of the Future” Cooke Latham Gallery, through 2 June
Fani Parali’s “Children of the Future” at Cooke Latham Gallery invites you into a whimsical, thought-provoking realm. Designed for children, this exhibition critiques technological progress with paintings, sculptures, and a “lip-synched opera” performance. It’s an imaginative, critical look at technology’s potential future for the next generation.
Tags
Contemporary Art, Guide, London Art Weekend, London Gallery Weekend, Recommendations
