Featured Events in London in February 2025 (July Updated)

Discover how weavers in Afghanistan have recorded the country's turbulent history in traditional rugs in this new display. On 24 December 1979 Soviet troops crossed the border into Afghanistan, beginning a protracted 10-year war. As the country was transformed by conflict, Afghan weavers started to include imagery of modern warfare in their carpets and rugs. Birds were replaced by military helicopters. Guns took the place of flowers. Demons fought alongside tanks. This fusion of traditional crafts with the recording of contemporary history created a new artform: Afghan war rugs. This display presents some of the remarkable rugs from the British Museum collection, alongside a selection of objects that explore Afghanistan's complex past and turbulent present. Located between Asia and the Middle East, Afghanistan has always been a point of connection for different cultures. Yet it was also a strategically important territory that dynasties and empires fought over to control.

Serpentine presents The Call, the first UK solo exhibition of Berlin-based artists and musicians Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, two of the most influential artists working with artificial intelligence today. Presented at Serpentine North, the exhibition addresses current societal concerns with AI, and platform musical ensembles from across the UK in a participatory experience for the public.

Drawing inspiration from Tate Modern's history as a power station, Mire Lee transforms the Turbine Hall with fabric hanging sculptures and epic mechanical installations, reimagining the space as a living factory. A fascinating mix of materials such as silicone and chains bring her creations to life and challenge our ideas of what is beautiful, perverse, provocative and desirable. Open Wound invites us to revel in contradictory emotions: from awe and disgust to compassion, fear and love.

Serpentine presents emajendat, the first UK exhibition of Lauren Halsey (b. 1987, Los Angeles, USA). On view at Serpentine South, the exhibition transforms the gallery into an immersive environment that responds to Serpentine’s location in Kensington Gardens.

See the world through a new lens. Experience the miracle of life on Earth through the world's best wildlife photography. Now in its 60th year, our photography exhibition aims to reveal more of nature's stories. It will take you on a visual adventure through different environments and give you a window into the wild animals that call them home. Witness firsthand how our activities, for good or bad, shape the natural worldExplore stunning imagery, from majestic predators on the hunt to breathtaking compositionsWitness powerful stories of survival, fragility, and life's delicate balanceEach photograph is a reminder of the wonder of the natural world. As well as stunning photography, you'll discover through soundscapes, films and expert insights the diversity and beauty of life on Earth, and what we can do together to protect it.

The creative force behind some of the most celebrated films of the past four decades, Tim Burton is internationally recognised as a master of the comically grotesque and the lovable misfit. This major exhibition will invite visitors to enter his world through an exploration of his unique aesthetic. Although best known for his film work, this exhibition will showcase his full range of work as an illustrator, painter, photographer and writer, and explore his significant collaborations with designers. As an interdisciplinary artist, his practice transcends the limitations of medium and format. Drawing from Tim Burton's personal archive, the collection of drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, moving image works, sculptural installations, set and costume designs represents the artist's work from childhood to the present day, focusing on recurring visual themes and motifs in the distinctive characters and worlds of Burton's art and films.

acclaimed ceramic artist Felicity Aylieff brings a major solo exhibition of porcelain vessels, architectural in scale, to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew Gardens. One of the UK’s leading artists working in clay, Aylieff is renowned for her longstanding collaboration with the porcelain production workshops and artisan craftspeople of Jingdezhen, China, where she has continued her extensive research and produced works on a monumental scale. Her large-scale works, all hand-thrown and hand painted, are a towering testament to the centuries-old traditions which established Jingdezhen as the “Porcelain Capital” of the world.

A new photography exhibition exploring a radical vision of culture, intimacy, desire and pain

Morlæ’s practice explores the implications of automation and robotics on the not-so-distant future, where social structures such as employment, leisure and labour conditions are on the verge of upheaval and change. Through robotic sculptures, video, and interactive multimedia, Morlæ imagines a post-work future as a ‘fully automated arcadia’. Drawing on the art historical tradition of pastoral painting and applying a lens of new-age spiritualism and contemporary health trends, the artist reflects on how humans might step into a new mode of rural living alongside intelligent technology. Key works in the exhibition include Mother, a wall-mounted interface that analyses human activity in a future without productive labour, and a video documenting the creation of a flying drone, blending reality with AI-altered imagery. In an era where much of our engagement with technology feels intangible - hidden in algorithms and data streams - Morlæ’s robotic sculptures serve as a reminder of the tactile, intertwining nature and technology to imagine alternative forms of freedom and suggestions towards a new world of leisure. G31 is a project space dedicated to the work of Somerset House Studios and its residency programmes. Open year round, G31 hosts a programme of installations and activities, many of which are free, as part of the wider Somerset House Studios programme.

We are delighted to invite our members to an exclusive Curator’s tour of Language of the Physical: Katherine Gili Sculpture. This exhibition brings together a range of sculptures by Katherine Gili, spanning four decades, from 1980 to 2022. Gili’s practice is rooted in a deeply physical engagement with materials—particularly steel, heavy-duty paper, and paper clay—and her work has steadily gained recognition in recent years. Most notably, her sculpture Vertical IV (1975) was recently displayed for the first time at Tate Britain as part of their ongoing collection display, Modern and Contemporary British Art (1965–1980), highlighting Gili’s significant contribution to British sculpture.

This major exhibition celebrates the extraordinary creative output and cosmopolitan culture of the Mughal Golden Age (c. 1560-1660), during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

Michael Werner Gallery, London presents Markus Lüpertz - Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. This groundbreaking exhibition pairs paintings of Markus Lüpertz (b. 1941 in Liberec, Bohemia), one of the most important German painters of the post-war period, with paintings and drawings of 19th-century French master Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (b. 1824 in Lyon, d. 1898 in Paris).

Hamiltons presents Erwin Olaf: Bigger Than Life, a celebration of Olaf’s life and photographic oeuvre. The exhibition presents important works from across the artist’s four-decade career, including works from series such as Chessmen, Im Wald, Palm Springs, Paradise and Grief, alongside a selection of self-portraits. It is a monumental celebration of the artist’s contribution to the visual arts, and of his long-term close friendship with Hamiltons Gallery.

The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize returns for its 17th year, showcasing the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals in the very best of contemporary photography.

Alon Zakaim Fine Art presents Carved & Cast: Sculpture Through the Ages – a captivating exhibition that brings together a museum-quality selection of privately owned sculptures, spanning over two millennia. Across two floors, the exhibition aims to highlight the divergent attitudes and approaches towards sculptural practice, and present a compelling survey of how some of the greatest masters of the last two centuries have shaped and redefined the medium.

The exhibition is curated by James Russell (Ravilious, 2015, Edward Bawden, 2018). An full-colour catalogue will accompany the show, featuring new research, plate images of each work and insightful essays by Ella Ravilious (granddaughter of Eric and Tirzah) and writer Jennifer Higgie.

Explore one of the UK’s most critical decades, the 1980s. This exhibition traces the work of a diverse community of photographers, collectives and publications –creating radical responses to the turbulent Thatcher years. Set against the backdrop of race uprisings, the miner strikes, section 28, the AIDS pandemic and gentrification – be inspired by stories of protest and change. At the time, photography was used as a tool for social change, political activism, and artistic and photographic experiments. See powerful images that gave voice and visibility to underrepresented groups in society. This includes work depicting the Black arts movement, queer experience, South Asian diaspora and the representation of women in photography.

License to Live explores the visual codes and abstractions embedded across public and private spaces, while raising questions related to artistic labour, ownership and control within cultural production. Underpinning Zhu’s motivation to create a licence agreement are questions of newness within artistic practice. License to Live can be repurposed or recontextualized to produce newness indefinitely.

Discover how artists used machines and algorithms to create mesmerising and mind-bending art between the 1950s and the early 1990s. From the birth of op art to the dawn of the internet age, artists found new ways to engage the senses and play with our perception. Electric Dreams celebrates the early innovators of optical, kinetic, programmed and digital art, who pioneered a new era of immersive sensory installations and automatically-generated works. This major exhibition brings together groundbreaking works by a wide range of international artists who engaged with science, technology and material innovation. Experience the psychedelic environments they created in the 1950s and 60s, built using mathematical principles, motorised components and new industrial processes. See how radical artists embraced the birth of digital technology in the 1970s and 1980s, experimenting with machine-made art and early home computing systems. One of Tate Modern’s most ambitious exhibitions to date, Electric Dreams offers visitors a rare chance to experience incredible works of vintage tech art in action – a look back at how artists imagined the visual language of the future.

Mauro Dell'Orco fascination with design began at an early age, nurtured by his surroundings and curiosity. Growing up in Trentino, Italy, he was captivated by the intricate craftsmanship and timeless beauty of custom furniture. This early exposure ignited a passion that would shape his future. Mauro honed his technical skills in a boutique workshop, where he meticulously crafted bespoke furniture pieces, each reflecting his dedication to quality and detail. This exhibition "LAYERS" highlights Mauro Dell'Orco ability to create pieces that testaments to his skill in merging architectural principles with artisanal craftsmanship, resulting in furniture that is both a work of art and a practical object.

gallery rosenfeld presents the Spanish artist Jose Castiella’s second solo exhibition at the gallery. On this occasion, the artist finds himself focusing on what he terms, ‘the spiritual realm’. As he himself explains, ‘in the past few years, I’ve had experiences that make me believe in the reality of the spiritual beyond any need for faith’.

The exhibition will feature more than 130 works by ten important Brazilian artists of the 20th century, capturing the diversity of Brazilian art of the time.

Witness one of the most visionary artists of the Renaissance at work and rediscover his masterpiece that pushed art in a new direction. This exhibition explores the creation of Parmigianino’s 'The Madonna and Child with Saints', also known as ‘The Vision of Saint Jerome’. It returns to public display for the first time in 10 years following conservation. Born in the Northern Italian city of Parma, after which he was nicknamed, Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (1503‒1540) was a child prodigy. He drew constantly. At age 21 he moved to Rome, where he impressed the Pope and was praised as a ‘Raphael reborn’. This altarpiece was his first major work there. In 1527, the Sack of Rome erupted around him while he finished the painting. According to legend, looting Imperial soldiers invading his studio were so amazed by it that they let him continue. Parmigianino made many drawings to work out his final composition. They range from velvety chalk studies to swirling pen and ink sketches. We reunite a variety of them with the painting for the first time. Part of our Bicentenary celebrations, this is a rare opportunity to encounter Parmigianino’s dynamic creative process.

Gagosian presents Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami, an exhibition of new paintings by Murakami at its Grosvenor Hill gallery in London. In this presentation, the artist pursues his fascination with the narrative of Japanese art by offering his own interpretations of historical paintings. By “Murakamizing” these iconic images, he ponders the erosion of the nation’s ancient splendor; he also considers the ways in which it has been impacted by new aesthetics and values associated with its opening to the West after the end of the Edo period (1603–1868).

Discover how the Palace of Versailles used science as a tool of power in this illuminating new exhibition. From iconic royal residence of the past, to Olympic and Paralympic venue today, the Palace of Versailles is famous around the world for its opulent architecture and rich history. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it also became a major site of scientific thinking. Opening this December, Versailles: Science and Splendour will explore the important role science played at the Palace. Visitors will be transported to the world of the French royal court to discover spectacular objects including Louis XV’s rhinoceros, an extraordinarily detailed map of the moon by Jean-Dominique Cassini and a beautiful sculptural clock evoking the creation of the world. The exhibition presents significant figures associated with the pursuit of knowledge at Versailles, including the pioneering Madame du Coudray, who trained thousands of midwives across rural France.

Help shape our future. This display, in the newly reopened Reading Room, sets out the bold visions of five internationally acclaimed architectural teams to transform the British Museum's 'Western Range'. Comprising about a third of the Museum's galleries, the Western Range includes the Egyptian sculpture gallery, the Parthenon Sculptures and the Assyrian lion hunt reliefs – and we have shortlisted five architectural teams with whom we will work on an ambitious transformation of the gallery spaces, public areas and back-of-house facilities. We've invited the teams to present their visions with a focus on innovative ideas rather than a finished design, which you can view in this display. The teams must balance the Museum's architectural heritage with a forward-looking, visitor-focused experience.

Exit reality. Enter fun! Step into a mesmerising world at Paradox Museum, London's most fun and educational experience for all ages, with ultra-instagrammable photo ops and surprising paradoxes that will defy your perception of reality. Dare to take the ride!

London International Mime Festival (LIMF) 1977-2023 was an established, annual festival of contemporary visual theatre. Essentially wordless and multi-disciplinary, its programme embraced circus-theatre, puppetry/animation, object theatre, mime, live art and physical theatre.

Rike Droescher is interested in processes of weaving as acts of documenting the passage of time. From the embroidered works, an imaginary fabric emerges. The fabulation of a moment that can speak a possible universal language, a lived and long-preserved memory.’ —Victoria Tarak

CONDO features shared spaces between galleries, where local galleries in the host city invite guest galleries to exhibit in the same space or co-curate exhibitions, creating new dialogues and collaborations. Condo London will return in 2025, with 49 galleries collaborating on exhibitions in 22 spaces across London.