Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic picks his Top 5 Museum Exhibitions to see in London right now. Each one comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you.
El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon @ Tate Modern, Turbine Hall
A gigantic artworks cascades down the full height of the Turbine Hall, while one almost as big blocks off its view at the entrance. These immense pieces are made from woven together bottle tops and reference colonial trade routes through awe-inspiring art. The vast space of the Turbine Hall is always a daunting challenge to fill but here we have works that feel like even the hall can just about contain them in one of the most memorable turbine hall installations to date. Until 14 April, free.
Barbara Kruger: Thinking of you. I mean me. I mean you @ Serpentine Galleries
‘I shop therefore I am’ feels more suited to today’s consumerist world than Descartes’ original quote and it’s just one perfectly pitched jibe that Barbara Kruger delivers in her Serpentine exhibition. With one giant poster declaring our people are better than your people and a picture of a woman stating your body is a battleground, used in the women’s march in the US, her work takes on multiple aspects of discrimination. The art world isn’t spared from her punchy works either as a projection of annotations sees her tearing apart a text from the magazine ArtForum. Until 17 March, free.
CUTE @ Somerset House
This exhibition is a great mashup of the super-cute with contemporary artists who look at how the concept of cute can also be weaponized into an arm of consumerism to make us spend our money. Watch cute characters get torn apart in a blender and enjoy the outlandish Hello Kitty memorabilia on display. Until 14 April, ticketed.
Everyday monuments @ Saatchi Gallery
The monuments we’re used to are reverential statues made from the finest materials such as bronze and marble. Here we have three artists re-purposing what we normally consider waste to make sculpture, using take away boxes, sheet metal and a lot more for both large scale and wall based works. Until 10 March, free.
Pesellino: A Renaissance Master Revealed @ The National Gallery, Room 46
This is another excellent one room display from The National Gallery, this time on the Renaissance artist Francesco Pesellino who many visitors may not have heard of. To celebrate his works we have a stunning altarpiece and beautifully detailed panels showing the story of King David and his slaying of Goliath. Until 10 March, free.
All images copyright artist and gallery. El Anatsui photo ©Tate (Lucy Green). Barbara Kruger photo: George Darrell. Cute photo: David Parry PA. Pesellino image © The National Gallery, London. Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2022 – Museum Exhibitions to see in London
