Museums and galleries are starting to reopen across the UK, with safety measures in place. Aesthetica highlights recommended shows to visit 鈥 from the new Ai Weiwei commission in London to a celebration of Derek Jarman鈥檚 iconic garden in Dungeness.
Ai Weiwei鈥檚 new artwork explores international migration as part of the museum鈥檚 ongoing Refugees season 鈥 foregrounding personal stories of those forced to flee their homes. The installation looks at conflict as a root cause of human flow, bringing the relationship between the individual, society and the state into focus. History of Bombs draws on the artist鈥檚 ongoing investigation into politics and power, and spans the entirety of IWM鈥檚 atrium space. 1 August 鈥 24 May.
Derek Jarman purchased Prospect Cottage in 1986. Then a fisherman鈥檚 shack on the shores at Dungeness, it was to become a sanctuary of art and imagination. Having been diagnosed with HIV the same year, Jarman had resolved 鈥渢o get as much out of life as possible鈥 and started creating a garden. This exhibition highlights Jarman鈥檚 works of art and film alongside personal artefacts. His paintings and sculptures are full of emotion, whilst the garden is singular in its vision: windswept by the sea, resting beside a nuclear power station. Until 20 September.
Photographer Bill Brandt and sculptor Henry Moore first met during WWII, when they both created images of civilians sheltering from the Blitz in the London Underground. This show highlights connections between the two artists 鈥 looking at shared interests in the subjects of labour, society, industry, the British landscape and the human body. Brandt鈥檚 bold, abstract black and white images come into dialogue with Moore鈥檚 iconic sculptural forms and drawings. Until 1 November.
Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2020, York Art Gallery
The 2020 Aesthetica Art Prize exhibition includes 18 artists that respond to today鈥檚 key issues, unpacking the layers of our digitalised, globalised planet. The featured projects ask poignant questions about what it means to be a human today. How has the selfie altered our sense of personal identity? What value do we place on being individuals? Across painting, photography, sculpture, video and installation, these immersive works are part of a wider line of enquiry into our changing world. 1 August 鈥 22 February.
Design Museum鈥檚 show tells the story of electronic music through art, design, technology and photography. Large scale images of rave culture by Andreas Gursky meet hypnotic virtual installations from The Chemical Brothers. Kraftwerk celebrates 50 years with a 3D show, whilst viewers are invited to explore the extreme visual world created by Weirdcore for Aphex Twin鈥檚 Collapse. The exhibition evokes a club-like experience, showing how dance music rewired the world. Until 14 February.
Julie Cockburn, Luke Stephenson and Weronika G臋sicka are artists deconstructing idealised images of everyday life and leisure time. This collaboration between King鈥檚 Cross and The Photographers鈥 Gallery highlights their works, subverting typical scenes of family outings, holidays, playtime and scenic views. Featured above is work by Cockburn, who transforms vintage photographs through hand stitching. Games We Play is the first show at the new free and permanent outdoor exhibition space. Now open.
Discover more newly-opened shows across the UK here.
- Geoff Titley,
- Courtesy Lisson Gallery. Photography by Gao Yuan.
- Image by Howard Sooley.
- Bill Brandt, Nude, East Sussex Coast. Gelatin silver print, 1960 Bill Brandt Archive, London, 漏 Bill Brandt / Bill Brandt Archive Ltd.
- Stephanie Potter Corwin, Murmurations #23: 10,000 selfies (with a pink wall in Los Angeles). Installation view and detail. Light boxes with Duratrans, 192in x 64in. Courtesy of the artist.
- Image by Jean-Christian Meyer.
- Mountain Lake, 2017 漏 Julie Cockburn Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers鈥 Gallery
