The following shows, on view across the UK, provide a platform for international female artists. From sculptures that link to a global abstraction, to replicas of avant-garde film sets from the 1960s and 1970s, these surveys shed light on creative figures who continue to challenge the canon.
| Serpentine Gallery, London | Until 17 March
American conceptual artist Barbara Kruger鈥檚 (b. 1945) creative practice focuses on visual culture and image production. She鈥檚 widely recognised for her collage style that consists of monochrome photographs, overlaid with decorative captions. These graphics examine the inherent connection between pictures and words and often explore complex mechanisms of capital, class, gender and power.聽聽Now, Kruger鈥檚 show at Serpentine Gallery transforms the interior and extends beyond the institution鈥檚 walls to engage Kensington Gardens and other sites around London. Artistic Director, Hans Ulrich Obrist, states that Kruger鈥檚 pieces are 鈥渁bout how we are to one other鈥 resulting in 鈥渁 commentary on living in our times.鈥 A selection of video installations, posters and wall-sized prints propose a conversation about societal issues, whilst Kruger鈥檚 characteristic graphics envelope complete rooms and overtake corridors.聽
| Turner Contemporary, Margate | Until 6 May
Beyond Form聽is a group exhibition thematising abstraction as a radical global language shared by women artists in the 20 years following WWII. By resisting the pressure to return to domestic roles, female artists of the 1950s and 1960s utilised visual expressions that resonated with the era鈥檚 proto-feminist sentiments. Through employing techniques like hanging, stacking and weaving they distanced themselves from established cultural hierarchies and challenged gender norms. The exhibition presents tactile pieces by names such as Eva Hesse, Hannah Wilke, Louise Bourgeois and M谩ria Bartuszov谩 alongside Ewa Pachucka and Maria Teresa Chojnacka鈥檚 fibre work and a selection of paintings and reliefs by Agnes Martin and Carmen Herrera. Over 80 items, predominantly sculpture, trace how trailblazing women artists revolutionised and materialised ideas, making way for new forms of creative expression.
| Whitechapel Gallery, London | Until 12 May
Originally conceived for the French Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022),聽Dreams have No Titles聽is the critically acclaimed project of French-Algerian artist Zineb Sedira (b. 1963). The multimedia exhibition transforms the gallery space into a series of film sets that reference specific moving images, as well as elements of the artist鈥檚 personal history. Sedira鈥檚 installations address pivotal cultural history moments from avant-garde cinema during the 1960s and 1970s across Algeria, France and Italy. The public can immerse themselves in scenes from Ettore Scola鈥檚聽Le Bal聽(1983) 鈥 a film that represents a 50-year story of French society, as well as the replica of Sedira鈥檚 own living room. Whitechapel Gallery’s display invites visitors to participate in an unfolding narrative where fiction and documentary intertwine.
| The Hepworth, Wakefield | Until 2 June
Kim Lim (1936-1997) was a Singaporean-British sculptor of Chinese descent. Recognised for her abstract wooden and stone-carved pieces, her objects explore the relationship between art and nature. Now, Hepworth Gallery presents the full breadth of the artist鈥檚 work through a selection of sculptures that were inspired by organic shapes, as well as those found in global cultures.聽Space, Rhythm & Light聽explores Lim鈥檚 engagement with abstraction across a wide range of media and materials that indicate the artist鈥檚 distinct contribution to 20th century British sculpture and printmaking. The display features large-scale metal works created between the 1950s and 1970s as well as later minimalist stone carvings made in the 1990s. Visitors will be able to engage with an array of audio recordings, documentary photographs and sketchbooks alongside Lim鈥檚 personal library of research material from her studio.
| Tate Modern, London | Until 1 September
Tate Modern presents the UK鈥檚 largest exhibition to celebrate the work of artist and activist Yoko Ono (b. 1933). Ono is known for her early conceptual and participatory projects including moving-image, mixed media works and performances. Besides a trailblazing career in visual art, Ono has been a celebrated musician and a formidable campaigner for world peace.聽Music of The Mind聽spans seven decades of Ono鈥檚 powerful and multidisciplinary practice from the mid-1950s to now. It traces the development of her innovative work and its enduring impact on contemporary culture. The display brings together over 200 items such as films, installations, music and photography. Conceived in close collaboration with the artist鈥檚 studio, it reveals a radical approach to authorship, language and social advocacy.
Image credits:
1. Tawney At Work In Studio, New York, USA.1966 Nina Leen/ The LIFE Picture Collection/ Shutterstock
2. Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You.,(Installation view, 1 February 鈥 17 March 2024, Serpentine South) Photo: George Darrell
3. Marisa Merz withLiving Sculptures, Turin, 1966Photo: Renato Rinaldi, Courtesy ArchivioMerz, MarisaMerz 漏 SIAE
4. Zineb Sedira Installation view fromDreams Have No Titles at theHamburgerBahnhof鈥揘ational galerie der Gegenwart, Berlin2023漏Mathieu Carmona 漏 DACS, London
5. Kim Lim working on Twice, 1968. 漏 Estate of Kim Lim / Turnbull Studio. All Rights Reserved, DACS. Photo: Jorge Lewinski. 漏 The Lewinski Archive at Chatsworth. All Rights Reserved 2023 / Bridgeman Images
6. Yoko Ono withHalf-A-Room1967 fromHALF-A-WIND SHOW, Lisson Gallery, London, 1967. Photo 漏 ClayPerry
