Of all the unmissable things to do in the beautiful city of London, its abundance of museums always ranks very close to the top of the list. The space that museums occupy in that list is definitely associated with the number of phenomenal exhibitions that are announced at any given moment. From the National Portrait Gallery to Southbank Centre, spring exhibitions for 2020 have art enthusiasts biting their nails and booking tickets one after the other. Now that spring deadlines are approaching for London’s students, we thought it was in good timing that we scope out the ideal exhibitions to look forward to after submissions are over with!
1. Yayoi Kusama | Tate Modern
There’s a reason why the Tate website went into a frenzy of unresponsiveness on the day the tickets were released. Every time Yayoi Kusama’s utterly mesmerising and sensationally photogenic Infinity Rooms pop up anywhere, chaos ensues. London could not have been an exception, with all of its cultural allure. Especially when the news arrives of not one, but two Infinity Rooms soon to open at Tate Modern. The exhibition will be live for quite a while, from the 11th of May 2020 until the 9th of May 2021, yet tickets are limited until the end of summer, so we recommend booking well in advance! If you can’t wait that long for a mesmerising experience though, our Kentish Town Instagram room will be up and running very soon and treating you to a wonderfully vibrant experience that will satisfy your camera roll!
2. Slices of Time | NOW Gallery
A fusion of colour comes together in Emmanuelle Moureaux’s first UK installation of this size. The French architect draws from Tokyo’s abundant layers and colours, to create a commentary on time that revolves around “shikiri”, a concept that associates the division of time with colour. The vibrant installation can be found at NOW Gallery in Greenwich, and – to top it all off – is free for all! The sensational installation was a much-anticipated entry to London’s cultural scene, and given its free entry we would definitely recommend that students visits on a weekday to escape long queues…
3. Meet Vincent Van Gogh | Southbank
An art exhibition that provokes visitors to re-invent the way they perceive art, Meet Vincent Van Gogh has been circling the globe and has, since February, found its home at Southbank. The set up allows visitors to guide themselves through an interactive exhibition, with a headset that offers an audio version of snippets from the letters Van Gogh had written to his brother, regarding his work. The audio-visual techniques created by the exhibition make for an unparalleled experience, whereas the famous painting of Van Gogh’s bedroom has been replicated in an installation for visitors to step into. An exhibition that differs from most, this cultural happening will be open at Southbank until the 21st of May.
4. David Hockney: Drawing from Life | National Portrait Gallery
British painter David Hockney is one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century, and a key contributor to the pop art movement. The National Portrait Gallery presents an exhibition featuring 150 works from public and private collections and the David Hockney Foundation alongside the artist’s own, all centred around four individuals and their depictions, including those of Hockney himself. Enjoy a deeply thorough look into one of Britain’s finest and his work, until the 28th of June.
5. Andy Warhol | Tate Modern
Andy Warhol’s significant influence on the evolution of modern art is undoubted, and Tate Modern has always displayed with pride his 1962 work, Marilyn Diptych. The son of immigrants, Warhol’s consumeristic commentary, combined with his celebrity and counterculture fascination, lead to works that captivate crowds and make for thought provoking collections. One such collection is to be displayed at Tate Modern from the 12th of March until the 6th of September. The exhibition promises to bring together a major retrospective of Warhol’s art, one that includes works shown for the first time in 30 years!
