Photo from the SKATEBOARD Exhibition by Felix Speller
Are you looking for new inspiration? Copious new designs and art exhibitions are waiting to be discovered at London’s top galleries and museums, all with student-friendly prices.
Here is a comprehensive list of artsy things to do in the city this month.
SKATEBOARD
Where: Design Museum
When: 20 October 2023 – 2 June 2024
Price: £12 (student ticket price)
The Design Museum presents the first major UK exhibition following the design evolution of skateboards from the 1950s to the present day, spotlighting the intersection of design, performance and community with SKATEBOARD. In partnership with shoe brand Converse, author, designer, and skater Jonathan Olivares, curated and developed this exhibition. About 90 unique boards are on display, alongside over 100 other related objects, including hardware, safety gear, VHS tapes, and magazines, all illustrating the technical development of skateboarding and its evolving social acceptance. Visitors can engage with the exhibition firsthand with the indoor skateboard ramp, providing skaters with a rare opportunity to skate inside a museum.
Frank Auerbach: “The Charcoal Heads”
Where: The Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN
When: 9 February – 27 May 2024
Price: £6 (student ticket price)
Frank Auerbach produced one of his most profound collections of work, a series of large portrait heads made of charcoal, during his early start as a young artist in post-war London. Auerbach’s eerily beautiful post-war drawings are brought together for the first with this exhibit. “The Charcoal Heads” were made in the 1950s and early 1960s and will be shown with a selection of paintings by Auerbach made of the same sitters.
The Cult of Beauty
Where: Wellcome Collection
When: 26 October 2023 – 28 April 2024
Price: Free
This free exhibition dives into notions of beauty across time and cultures, displaying over 200 items from historical objects, artworks, and films to new commissions. It evokes reflection on the forces behind the idea of universal beauty, considering factors such as morality, status, health, age, race, and gender. “The Cult of Beauty” invites visitors to challenge established societal norms and explore more inclusive definitions of beauty.
Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art
Where: Barbican Art Gallery, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
When: 13 February – 26 May 2024
Price: £13 (student ticket price)
This Barbican Art Gallery exhibition explores how artists from the 1960s to today utilise textiles to confront power dynamics and question authority. The exhibit features over 100 pieces by 50 international artists, containing a range of textile techniques such as stitching, weaving, and knotting. Through textiles, these artists convey narratives of both oppression and resilience.
Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer 1967 from HALF-A-WIND SHOW, Lisson Gallery, London, 1967. Photograph by: Clay Perry
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
Where: Tate Modern
When: 15 February – 1 September 2024
Price: £20 (student ticket price)
Tate Modern presents the UK’s largest exhibition honouring the work of artist and activist Yoko Ono. “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind” showcases Ono’s pioneering early conceptual and participatory art, film, and performances. With over 200 works spanning seven decades, including installations, films, music, and photography, the exhibition follows Ono’s artistic evolution and impact on contemporary culture. Emphasising her radical work from the 1960s, particularly during her time in London, the exhibit highlights significant moments in her career, inviting visitors to participate in her imaginative and thought-provoking pieces.