Fabulous exhibitions for easy days out

This dismal summer weather doesn’t have to mean missing out on terrific days out! The pent up demand for culture and experiences is fully satisfied with hundreds of exhibitions all over the UK. We offer our curated collection for the South East. By Tess de Klerk

OUR FUTURE PLANET

Learn how modern technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. The fastest way to reduce climate change is by removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it permanently. Experts from around the world are racing to develop new methods to do this. The exhibition demonstrates state-of-the-art technology and naturebased solutions currently being developed to capture carbon dioxide released by human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels. Science Museum, London. Running until 19th May 2022

THE PICTURE LIBRARY

Explore the changing nature of photojournalism throughout the 20th century through the iconic Guardian picture collection. Discover how photojournalism contributed to sharing stories about feminism, nationalism, postcolonialism, racism, class, and environmentalism while celebrating a liberal outlook through imagery.

Throughout the exhibition, images by acclaimed photographers such as Bruce Davidson, Madame Yevonde, Yousuf Karsh and Cecil Beaton are displayed alongside photography by lesser-known photographers, without hierarchy ascribed to any artist. The Photographers’ Gallery, London. Running until 26th September 2021

EPIC IRAN

Featuring over 300 objects from ancient and contemporary Iranian cultures, Epic Iran marks the first major exhibition of Iranian art and culture in the UK in over 90 years.Spanning 5000 years, it includes rarely seen objects from the V&A’s vault alongside loans from other institutions and important collections, including The Sarikhani Collection. This landmark exhibit reveals a unique glimpse into one of the world’s greatest civilisations, its journey into the 21st century, and its numerous artistic achievements that have been largely unknown to the modern world. Victoria & Albert, London. Running until 12th September 2021

DAVID HOCKNEY

The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020

In the midst of a pandemic, David Hockney captured the unfolding of spring on his iPad, creating 116 new and optimistic works in praise of the natural world. The works he created have been printed on paper at a large scale and densely hung, evoking a sense of immersion in nature across this ethereal exhibition. Royal Academy of Arts, London. Running until 26 September 2021

A DRAWING, A STORY, AND A POEM GO FOR A WALK

Mariana Castillo Deball curates the Towner Collection Mariana Castillo Deball is presenting previously unexhibited works alongside familiar and beloved scenes from the Sussex landscape in the newest Towner Collection exhibition. Bringing together the geological, social and cultural history of Essex, Kent and East Sussex, Deball explores the uniqueness of each area through the stories and creative spirit of people who live there. The exhibition also displays contemporary art designed to respond to these magnificent landscapes with commissioned artists including Andreas Angelidakis, Holly Hendry, Jasleen Kaur, Katrina Palmer, Pilar Quinteros and Michael Rakowitz offering all manner of visual art. Towner Eastbourne. Running until 16th January 2022

A PRINCE’S TREASURE

The Royal Pavilion hosts a spectacular loan from Her Majesty The Queen. Over 120 remarkable decorative works of art, that were originally commissioned by the Prince Regent, have been relocated from Buckingham Palace and brought together at the Royal Pavilion & Museums. The Royal Pavillion. Brighton. Running until January 2022

MOMENTS: AN EXHIBITION OF MODERN ART

Reflect on modern art by world-renowned contemporary artists. A noteworthy lineup of artists, including Banksy, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin are joined by The Connor Brothers, Blek Le Rat, Pure Evil, Kaws and Rachel List in celebration of the concept of moments. Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds. Running until 30th September 2021 HOW WE LIVE NOW:

Reimagining Spaces with Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative ‘How We Live Now’ delves into the previously unexplored archives of Matrix, a radical feminist architectural cooperative from the 1980s. In an installation consisting of films, photographs, drawings, and architectural models, the exhibition explores explore two critical social questions – for whom and how do our buildings and shared spaces exist? Matrix particularly challenged the exclusion of certain groups due to gender, race and disability in the design and building process. Barbican Art Gallery, London. Running until 23rd December

MASTERPIECES IN MINIATURE

The 2021 Model Art Gallery More than 80 original – but miniature – works of art in three model art galleries, with work by artists from Augustus John, Vanessa Bell, Paul Nash, Sir Peter Blake and Richard Hamilton to new pieces by Rachel Whiteread, Damien Hirst, John Akomfrah, Tacita Dean and Lubaina Himid. The galleries are a time capsule of 80 years of British art. Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. Running until Spring 2022

AN ODE TO AFROSURREALISM

Through a Black British lens, this photographic exhibit explores contemporary relationships with spiritualism, reality, and surrealism. Through their photography, Hamed Maiye and Adama Jalloh consider spiritual identity in terms of metaphor, mythology and symbolism. Horniman Museum and Gardens, London. Running until 7th November 2021

ALICE: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER

The immersive and theatrical exhibition charts Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’s evolution from a manuscript to a multi-generational phenomenon. This landmark exhibit at the V&A pays tribute to one of the greatest stories of all time. With an immersive and mind-bending journey down the rabbit hole, this fantastical exhibition will explore Alice in Wonderland’s origins, adaptations and reinventions over 158 years.

With over 300 objects covering fi lm, performance, fashion, art, music and photography, the V&A will be the fi rst museum to fully explore Alice’s cultural impact and her continued infl uence on leading creatives such as Salvador Dalí and The Beatles, Little Simz and Thom Browne. The exhibit includes models, stage costumes, and fashion and photography from Tim Walker and Annie Leibovitz as well as illustrations by John Tenniel, Ralph Steadman, and Disney. Victoria & Albert, London. Running until 31st December 2021

1920/2020: FREUD AND PANDEMIC

This exhibition explores the similarities between Freud’s experience of the 1918-20 Flu pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic. Sigmund Freud, known as one of the fathers of modern psychology, lived through the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-20. This exhibition explores how Freud reacted to that crisis and how modern psychoanalysis has responded in 2020. Interestingly, similar measures were taken by governments in 1918 as in 2020, schools, shops and restaurants closed, restrictions were placed on transportation and social distancing was encouraged. Freud Museum, London. Running until 12th September 2021