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I know, I can’t believe Winter is finally over either!
It’s ok, we all know you’ve been hibernating for the last 4/5 months, just to not get hit by a wall of November rain or the bone-chilling breeze of early January. So… What have you missed? Doesn’t matter. What you can see now is what’s important!
You’ve spent long enough trapped indoors and you’re bored of what Netflix has to offer you on a sunny Sunday. You want to get out and be inspired by culture and the works of people, frustratingly, more creative than you.
Look no further! Here is our list of 7 exhibitions you should check out this Spring to reenergise your cultural battery. Also, to come across as more interesting/cool/adventurous to your dates ?.
National Portrait Gallery
(Photo Credit: Saskia Nelson)
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Only Human: Martin Parr
Entry: £18.00
Until: 27th May 2019
Hailed the “most satirical eye in British photography” by The Guardian, Martin Parr’s exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, featuring our dear friend Saskia Nelson , will no doubt be a highlight of the Spring. If you’re looking for a fun exhibition that will change your perspective on “Britishness”, then look no further. See some familiar faces and friends of Mr. Parr, as well as personality-a-plenty shown through the great man’s work.
Tate Modern
(Photo Credit: Tate Modern Website – https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/cc-land-exhibition-pierre-bonnard-colour-memory)
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The C C Land Exhibition: Pierre Bonnard: The Colour of Memory
Entry: £18 for adults
Until: 6th May 2019
The Tate Modern and Britain (as per usual) are offering up some of the best possible exhibitions to see in London. The first major exhibition of Pierre Bonnard’s work in the UK for 20 years is one of many major shows at the Tate’s to sink your teeth into. His works are dreamlike, momentary and, beyond anything, exceptionally colourful. Prepare to get lost in his paintings and enjoy a very bright start to your Spring!
(Photo Credit: Tate Modern Website – https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/dorothea-tanning)
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Dorothea Tanning
Entry: £13 for adults
Until: 9th June 2019
Of course, the Tate Modern wasn’t just going to give you some pretty Post-Impressionism for the season. The Modern is all about the weird and wonderful. The new Dorothea Tanning exhibition is all about that. Known to be a boundary pusher in the (already) boundary pushing art form of Surrealism, her work speaks of desire and sexuality. It offers a reality questioning, nightmarish take on the known and recognisable.
Tate Britain
(Photo Credit: Tate Britain Website – https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/don-mccullin)
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Don McCullin
Entry: £18 for adults
Until: 6th May 2019
Don McCullin is one of the greatest ever photojournalists and, for such reason, he has been given his own retrospective at the Tate Britain. For anyone who knows anything about war photography and the like, be prepared for some truly eye opening imagery. With it being the work of Don McCullin, expect not only some staggering shots of wartime scenes – including Vietnam and, more recently, Syria – but also many examples of the impoverished conditions closer to home.
HINT: It may not be the most positive of exhibitions, but for anyone vaguely interested in the material it will blow them away.
(Photo Credit: Tate Britain website – https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/ey-exhibition-van-gogh-and-britain)
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The EY Exhibition: van Gogh and Britain
Entry: £22 for adults
Opens: 27th March 2019
Until: 11th August 2019
Oh, you’ve heard of Vincent van Gogh? Yeah he’s a kinda big name…
If you’re into art to any degree, you’re likely to have heard of good ole Vinny. One of the big names of the Impressionism period and an artist that changed the world. However, this is a special exhibition that expands on how he was inspired by Britain and how he, in turn, has inspired British art. Featuring a combination of both his and multiple British artists work, you can look forward to feeling a greater patriotic association to one of the all time greats.
White Cube Bermondsey
(Photo Credit: White Cube Bermondsey website – https://whitecube.com/exhibitions/exhibition/tracey_emin_bermondsey_2019)
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Tracy Emin: A Fortnight of Tears
Entry: Free
Until: 7th April 2019
Tracy Emin is best known as one of the leading British artists of the 90’s. She’s retained her relevancy through her work devoted to her personal memories and emotion.
This latest exhibition of her works speak of loss and love, as well as opening up about personal conditions she suffers from, including loneliness and insomnia.
Once again, it may not be the easiest of exhibitions to emotionally stomach on a hungover Sunday, but it is a definite must see of the season.
Hayward Gallery
(Photo Credit: Southbank Centre website – https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/hayward-gallery-art/diane-arbus-beginning)
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Diane Arbus: In the Beginning
Entry: £15.50 for adults
Until: 6th May 2019
Diane Arbus’ photography is simple and well taken, which for many may not sound like “enough”. It is. Focusing on works from the first 8 years of her career as an independent photographer, the exhibition displays documentation of her real life interaction with the subjects of her photography. The audience are invited to put their own stories together of Arbus’ muses.
The exhibition features over 100 photographs. All with different histories and experiences to be relayed all through the medium of 35mm photography on print.
This is an exhibition for an enquiring and imaginative mind.
Whitechapel Gallery
Photo Credit: Whitechapel Gallery website – https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/is-this-tomorrow/)
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Is this Tomorrow?
Entry: £12.95 for adults
Until: 12th May 2019
We live in an era dominated by bad news about what is in store for our future… So, why not let a bunch of architects and artists take a stab at what might be on the horizon?
The Whitechapel has invited 10 groups of such creative types to do just that. The results range from dystopian views of technology, to the development and interaction of music and elements of society within the environment.
Inspired by the exhibition of the same name that opened in 1956 (but in a very different post-war-Britain) this exhibition will no doubt expand your thoughts about our world and future.
Honourable Mentions:
- Bill Viola/Michaelangelo: Life Death Rebirth – Royal Academy
- Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light – National Gallery
- Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams – Victoria and Albert Museum
So there are our recommendations, now get out and get inspired!
By Lucas Galley-Greenwood
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