Featured Events in London in September 2023 (August Updated)

A Virtual Reality Art Exhibition that you can view in any location and on any device. Please see the above picture instructions for how you can view it on a tablet/mobile. You can view the exhibition with or without a virtual reality headset. Copy this link to view the Virtual Reality Art Exhibition on a computer/laptop: https://edu.cospaces.io/PMB-KAV The Virtual Private View of the Exhibition was held on Thursday 14th of May 2020 at 8:15pm on Zoom (Virtual drinks provided.)

Tate presents a rare chance to experience two of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. These immersive installations will transport you into Kusama’s unique vision of endless reflections. Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life is one of Kusama’s largest installations to date and was made for her 2012 retrospective at Tate Modern. It is shown alongside Chandelier of Grief, a room which creates the illusion of a boundless universe of rotating crystal chandeliers. A small presentation of photographs and moving image – some on display for the first time – provides historical context for the global phenomenon that Kusama’s mirrored rooms have become today. Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, Kusama came to international attention in 1960s New York for a wide-ranging creative practice that has encompassed installation, painting, sculpture, fashion design and writing. Since the 1970s she has lived in Tokyo, where she continues to work prolifically and to international acclaim. Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms is presented in The George Economou Gallery. This exhibition is in partnership with Bank of America, with additional support from Uniqlo. Please read our safety guidelines below before you visit.

According to Brown, the title questions not so much what a leisure centre is but what might be the centre of our leisure. What is the point at which relaxation and non-functional activity allows the mind to freely wander, when we can indulge in activities or thoughts simply for the pure pleasure of doing so. When does sex go beyond procreation, when does food satisfy more than hunger or when does furniture become more than functional - arguably, the point at which it becomes art. The Leisure Centre combines the works of Glenn Brown, with artists from the past and present which are in his collection, of which the full list is below. The exhibition asks the viewer to become a flaneur, travelling through time and place around the rooms of The Brown Collection; questioning which century a work was made, who made it and why. Philip Akkerman (Dutch, b.1957), Abraham Bloemaert (Dutch, 1566-1651), Glenn Brown (British, b. 1966), Gillis Claesz. de Hondecoeter (Dutch, 1575/80-1638), Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (Dutch, 1562-1638), Morris Cox (British, 1903-1998), Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836-1904), Gaetano Gandolfi (Italian, 1734-1802), Mauro Gandolfi (Italian, 1764-1834), Ubaldo Gandolfi (Italian, 1728-1781), Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725-1805), Hans Hartung (German-French, 1904-1989), Grace Pailthorpe (British, 1883-1971), Fiona Rae, R.A. (British, 1963), Austin Osman Spare (British, 1886-1956), Andries Jacobsz Stock (Dutch, 1580-1648), Jan Saenredam (Dutch, 1565-1607), Jan Toorop (Dutch, 1858-1928), Gillian Wearing (British, b. 1963)

To mark Cugoano's 250th anniversary, Trinidad-based artist Che Lovelace has been selected to create paintings to be installed in the entrance of the church. Seen by all visitors to St James’s it will be the first permanent art commission to commemorate Cugoano’s life anywhere in the world. Lovelace paints the intersecting lives of the people and natural beauty of Trinidad. Infused with rich colours and bold shapes, his paintings straddle the boundary between magical realism, abstraction and the beauty of the natural world. Quobna Ottobah Cugoano described his personal experience of being trafficked at the age of 13 to work on a plantation in Grenada and bought by a merchant to England where he gained his freedom in 1772, in his book Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery published in 1787. His baptism, in 1773, was an act which promised his ongoing freedom; however he didn’t live long enough to see slavery abolished by the UK Parliament. With his exact dates of birth and death unknown, Cugoano’s baptism on 20 August 1773 at St James’s is the only place and date that is clearly and verifiably part of his story. Lovelace was selected by a process led by curator Ekow Eshun and involving members of the church’s congregation and clergy. The commission is supported by generous donations from international lawyer and philanthropist Dr Tai-Heng Cheng and his husband, gallerist Mr Cole Harrell, both American Friends of St James’s Piccadilly. The commission is part of St James’s cultural programme overseen by Creative Director Richard Parry, previously Director, Glasgow International. The commission is the cornerstone of St James’s programme of events commemorating Cugoano’s baptismal anniversary year, which includes: Friday 22 September, 7-9pm – opening event and artist Che Lovelace ‘In Conversation’ with Rector of St James’s Lucy Winkett Thursday 5 October, 7pm – Author Ben Okri will read from recent works and discuss the legacy and resonance of Cugoano today with writer and curator Ekow Eshun Saturday 7 October, from 5.30pm – Visualising Britain’s Black Past an evening exploring the life, legacy and contemporary resonance of Ottobah Cugoano. Desireé Baptiste will perform her short play, Incidents in the Life of an Anglican Slave, inspired by a 1723 letter from an anonymous enslaved Virginian housed discovered in Lambeth Palace Library. Screening of Palimpsest: Tales Spun From Sea And Memories by Billy Gerard Frank artist-film maker and shown in the Grenada National Pavilion at 59th Venice Biennale. Followed by a panel discussion led by curator Ekow Eshun exploring the life, legacy and contemporary resonance of Ottobah Cugoano with the artists joined by Paterson Joseph, actor and author of The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho (2022). Saturday 14 October, 7pm - Julianknxx presents a special performance with a choir songs which echo the notion of ‘flight’ in relation to Africa, coinciding with his exhibition Chorus in Rememory of Flight at Barbican

‘The pandemic really brought out the good in people, it seemed to illuminate our strengths and fortitude in the face of an ever-evolving virus.’ - RM, clinical microbiology fellow, north-west England fortitude (noun): courage in pain or adversity In January 2021 the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) museum created a survey to collect and record the experiences of RCP members and other healthcare professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic. From trainee doctors and consultants to GPs and physician associates, survey respondents from over 20 medical specialties and professions described how their lives were transformed. With their permission, the RCP is privileged to share their experiences, in their own words. These stories may be challenging to read and hear. They are honest and speak of suffering, chaos and exhaustion. They are also inspiring, filled with compassion, courage and joy. Some stories may contradict our own understanding of the pandemic, and others caution and urge us to learn from these experiences. The objects, images, written accounts and recordings in the exhibition were donated to the RCP via the survey, and the quotes are taken directly from donations. This exhibition contains images, descriptions and audio recordings relating to illness, death, grief and trauma