Narrowing down your London art exhibitions must-see list is rarely easy, even in the quieter months on the art calendar. As summer enters full swing, stay up-to-date with our guide to the best London art shows in the city and around the UK in summer 2023.
The best London art exhibitions to see in summer 2023
'Between Worlds'
The Photographers' Gallery
Until 24 September
Still from Habitat game
Virtual worlds, briefly digital epicentres of user communities and all-consuming lifestyles lived online, tend to burn brightly before disappearing, hosting one last ‘end of the world’ party before the servers are permanently switched off.
The journey since the earliest online games – from Maze, the first 3D first-person game to be created, to PlayStation Home, WorldsChat and Myst Online – is now traced by a new London exhibition. ‘Between Worlds’, which opened this summer to mark the 20th anniversary of Second Life, a rare example of a still-active virtual world, explores these online communities.
Writer: Hannah Silver
thephotographersgallery.org.uk
Isaac Julien: ‘What Freedom Is to Me’
Tate Britain
Until 20 August 2023
Installation view, Isaac Julien, Once Again…(Statues Never Die), Tate Britain, 2023
Artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien’s Tate Britain retrospective ‘What Freedom Is to Me’ questions histories, and explores activism, but is also full of joy and beauty. The retrospective covers 40 years of work specialising in film, photography and installation explores activism, selfhood, how we make histories, knowledge and Black and queer identity, with exhibition design by Adjaye Associates.
Writer: Harriet Lloyd-Smith
Antony Caro: ‘The Inspiration of Architecture’
Pitzhanger Manor
Until 10 September 2023
Anthony Caro: 'The Inspiration of Architecture' at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
Antony Caro was, undoubtedly, a revolutionary in sculpture, subverting existing conventions in material, surface and form. He was also a master of the intersection, proving how art and architecture are not mutually exclusive entities. Caro’s relationship with architecture is now being explored at Pitzhanger Manor, London through 16 key works created between 1983–2013. The sculptures engage in a choreography of sorts with Sir John Soane’s building, notably in Caro’s inclusion of coloured Perspex, which echoes Soane’s epic use of stained glass.
Writer: Harriet Lloyd-Smith
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Major Barbie exhibition announced at Design Museum, London
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Whoosh! ‘Email is Dead,’ say the Design Museum and Intuit Mailchimp
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‘Darker, more sinister themes’: Paula Rego’s decade of self-discovery is the subject of a new London exhibition
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Tate Modern announces The Infinities Commission for rising contemporary artists
Tate Modern’s new Infinities Commission will support experimental work from around the world
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Turner Prize 2023 exhibition unwrapped: inside Towner Eastbourne
The Turner Prize 2023 exhibition has opened inside the colourful Towner Eastbourne; delve into the work of the four nominees
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Peruse the ICA print sale, marking the institute’s 75th anniversary
London’s ICA print sale, with Counter Editions, includes limited-edition prints from Chris Ofili, Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, and more, available individually or as a box set
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New glass sculpture creates a verdant wonderland at Apple’s Cupertino HQ
‘Mirage’ at Apple Park is the work of Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson, a shimmering array of glass columns that snakes through the grounds of the company’s monumental HQ
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Sarah Lucas at Tate Britain: humour, desire, domesticity
‘Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas’ at Tate Britain spans the four decades the artist’s career
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Heads up for London Film Festival 2023’s immersive art programme
From VR fungi to AR walks, London Film Festival 2023 announces LFF Expanded, a compelling programme of immersive art and extended realities
