Welcome to the IanVisits alternative guide to London.
Lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random geeky miscellany.
This is quite an old listings page, did you want: Friday, 16th August 2024?
Displayed in date order by how soon they close.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel. (Ending Soon Tue, 17th Aug)
The Design Museum
Free
Art & Ornament
A display of modern carvings in wood and stone as part of the Grinling Gibbons tercentenary. (Ending Soon Fri, 20th Aug)
St Mary Abchurch
An exhibition that introduces the shrines and royal palaces of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). (Ending Soon Fri, 20th Aug)
Korean Cultural Centre UK
Free
Summer Lights
A colourful exhibition celebrating natural light across the Canary Wharf estate. (Ending Soon Sat, 21st Aug)
Canada Square Park
An exhibition celebrating French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), one of the most singular and provocative voices in postwar modern art. (Ending Soon Sun, 22nd Aug)
Barbican Centre
Discover the murder that shook the Middle Ages in this dramatic exhibition about the life, death and legacy of Thomas Becket. (Ending Soon Sun, 22nd Aug)
The British Museum
An exhibition celebrating the life, genius and legacy of the 17th-century master wood carver and sculptor, Grinling Gibbons. (Ending Soon Fri, 27th Aug)
Bonhams
This is a major survey show of one of the most exciting, yet least known, movements in contemporary art: a non-Western tradition at once ancient and modern, immediate and other. (Ending Soon Sat, 28th Aug)
Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery
An exhibition devoted to the life and work of Claudia Andujar and her collaboration with the Yanomami, one of Brazil’s largest indigenous peoples. (Ending Soon Sun, 29th Aug)
Barbican Centre
Free
UNIQLO Tate Play
Tate Modern invites visitors of all ages to transform the floor of the Turbine Hall into an ever changing work of art. (Ending Soon Sun, 29th Aug)
Tate Modern
This is a rare opportunity to see one of Poland’s most loved works of art. (Ending Soon Mon, 30th Aug)
National Gallery
Meet one of the giants of 20th century design, a free spirit who championed good design for all and was often overshadowed by her famous male collaborators. (Ending Soon Sat, 4th Sep)
The Design Museum
A series of tonal paintings produced by contraptions that have been assembled by hand from industrial materials. (Ending Soon Sun, 5th Sep)
Saatchi Gallery
Outdoor art exhibition by Malwawi-born artist Samson Kambalu, who has been creating flags throughout lockdown that explore ideas of national and individual sovereignty and links to emancipatory movements such as Pan-Africanism. (Ending Soon Sun, 5th Sep)
Southbank Centre
This touring exhibition unites contemporary indigenous artists and educators in the USA with museums and historic collections in Britain. (Ending Soon Sun, 5th Sep)
Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
Copies of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic torches will be on display in London during the summer. (Ending Soon Mon, 6th Sep)
Japan House
A collection of work exploring artists’ responses to the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. (Ending Soon Sun, 12th Sep)
RAF Museum
Free
Miniature Books
This display showcases some of the miniature books submitted by children during the Covid lockdown. (Ending Soon Sun, 12th Sep)
The British Library
Featuring works by children from 30 different primary schools, the exhibition showcases the richness of children's creative responses – from armoured beasts and shining shields to plumed helmets and printed flowers. (Ending Soon Sun, 12th Sep)
National Gallery
This landmark exhibition brings together major works by Turner from Tate and other collections, including The Fighting Temeraire 1839 and Rail, Steam and Speed 1844. (Ending Soon Sun, 12th Sep)
Tate Britain
Free
No Comply
An exhibition exploring the phenomena of skateboarding and the impact of its culture and communities on the UK over the past 45 years. (Ending Soon Sun, 19th Sep)
Somerset House
Embrace the wonderfully weird world of plant biodiversity through newly commissioned interactive art installations using music, sound and colour. (Ending Soon Sun, 19th Sep)
Kew Gardens
An exhibition about the 20th century’s most influential floral decorator, Constance Spry. (Ending Soon Sun, 26th Sep)
Garden Museum
£17.50
Naturally Brilliant Colour
Experience colour like never before in an exhibition that celebrates the spectacular shades of the natural world. (Ending Soon Sun, 26th Sep)
Kew Gardens
£29
Van Gough Alive
This summer, Kensington Gardens will host Van Gogh Alive, an immersive “experience” based around the life and work of the Dutch artist. (Ending Soon Sun, 26th Sep)
Kensington Gardens
Discover the story of Ai-Da, the world’s first convincing humanoid robot capable of creating artworks. (Ending Soon Wed, 29th Sep)
The Design Museum
Original artworks and illustrations from his booklets, inspired by the art in the Painted Hall, will be on display. (Ending Soon Thu, 30th Sep)
Old Royal Naval College
Free
Making Paradise
An exhibition exploring the concept of Eden through Art & Islamic Garden Design (Ending Soon Thu, 30th Sep)
The Aga Khan Centre
An analogue journey through unseen footage, unpublished articles and original synthesizers with one of electronic music's pioneering groups. (Ending Soon Thu, 30th Sep)
Barbican Centre
This large scale timeline and exhibition in the gallery tells you some of the extraordinary story within the wider context of the changing East End. (Ending Soon Thu, 30th Sep)
Oxford House
Free
On Tenterhooks
Inspired by artist Anna Ray’s Huguenot ancestors who settled in Spitalfields as textile makers in the 18th century, the exhibition explores the past and present of textile making. (Ending Soon Fri, 1st Oct)
99 Bishopsgate
Reverberations is an immersive sound installation, produced by sound artist Wajid Yaseen, that uses transducer speakers to resonate through the bookshelves of one of London’s oldest radical bookshops. (Ending Soon Fri, 1st Oct)
Housmans Bookshop
Free
Falling Birds
A series of X-ray photographs and poetic texts highlighting extinction and the alarming decline in bird species around the world. (Ending Soon Sun, 10th Oct)
Horniman Museum
Free
Treasures of the RSM
This exhibition offers a fascinating insight into the history of medicine and the growth of the medical and scientific professions. (Ending Soon Fri, 15th Oct)
The Royal Society of Medicine
This exhibition shows photographs from fine-art photographer Hugo Rittson-Thomas' new book Wildflowers For The Queen (Ending Soon Sun, 17th Oct)
The Garden Museum
Bringing together over 200 objects from collections across Europe and America, this exhibition shows how Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943) blazed a new path for the development of abstraction. (Ending Soon Sun, 17th Oct)
Tate Modern
Celebrating south London’s music scene, Music Curator Adem Holness highlights the relationship between Black British music and physical space. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Oct)
Horniman Museum
This exhibition explores the true story of Rome's fifth emperor informed by new research and archaeological evidence from the time, challenging the biased historical accounts written after Nero’s death that have shaped his legacy. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Oct)
The British Museum
£18
Paula Rego
The largest and most comprehensive retrospective of Paula Rego’s work to date. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Oct)
Tate Britain
Step up and discover the footwear phenomenon that has challenged performance design, inspired subcultures and shaken the world of fashion. (Ending Soon Sun, 24th Oct)
The Design Museum
An exhibition to celebrate the release of A Field Guide to Larking by Lara Maiklem, author of the bestselling Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames (Ending Soon Sat, 30th Oct)
Southwark Cathedral
Five monumental views reunited for the first time in more than 250 years. (Ending Soon Sun, 31st Oct)
National Gallery
Featuring over 50 books, documents, film clips and original artworks, the exhibition explores Michael Bond’s creation of Paddington, from his arrival in the UK from Peru, to finding a new home, and his adventures in London. (Ending Soon Sun, 31st Oct)
The British Library
Come face-to-face with the kings and queens who have shaped British history for over 500 years (Ending Soon Sun, 31st Oct)
National Maritime Museum
A new photographic art display exploring contemporary relationships with spiritualism, reality and surrealism, through a Black British lens. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Nov)
Horniman Museum
This exhibition explores the pioneering design strategy and lasting legacy of the historic Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games. (Ending Soon Sun, 7th Nov)
Japan House
Free
Beuys’ Acorns
In response to the climate emergency, artists Ackroyd & Harvey have installed Beuys’ Acorns, a group of 100 oak trees, on Tate Modern’s South Terrace (Ending Soon Sun, 14th Nov)
Tate Modern
£24.50
The Art of Banksy
The Art of Banksy holds the world’s largest collection of privately owned Banksy art. (Ending Soon Sun, 21st Nov)
Belgo
This major exhibition is the first to focus on the importance of plaster in his work. (Ending Soon Sun, 21st Nov)
Tate Modern
Discover where the real world and the Wizarding World intertwine. (Ending Soon Thu, 25th Nov)
Natural History Museum
This display reflects on the role of humour in debates around identity, empire and power over the past two hundred years. (Ending Soon Thu, 25th Nov)
Victoria and Albert Museum
This display of artworks and manuscripts explores the life and interests of Joseph Banks (1743-1820) through some of his extraordinary collections. (Ending Soon Thu, 25th Nov)
Natural History Museum
An exhibition that reflects on the Building Centre's key activities from 1931 to the present day (Ending Soon Fri, 17th Dec)
The Building Centre
An installation exploring two important social questions: who are our buildings and shared spaces for and how do they affect us? (Ending Soon Thu, 23rd Dec)
Barbican Centre
The exhibition brings together rarely-seen original artwork and costumes, photographs, documents, audio and video to tell the story of Noël Coward's life. (Ending Soon Thu, 23rd Dec)
Guildhall Art Gallery and Roman Amphitheater
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. (Ending Soon Thu, 23rd Dec)
Tate Modern
An exhibition about a dentist and Freemason noted for his philanthropy. (Ending Soon Fri, 24th Dec)
Museum of Freemasonry
Heather Phillipson engulfs Tate Britain’s grand central galleries with colour, sound and motion (Ending Soon Wed, 29th Dec)
Tate Britain
An outdoor exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the seat of Poland’s diplomatic post in London at 47 Portland Place. (Ending Soon Fri, 31st Dec)
Embassy of the Republic of Poland
Sixty-five paintings that usually hang in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and are widely acknowledged to be among the highlights of the Royal Collection have been brought together in a gallery exhibition for the first time. (Ending Soon Fri, 31st Dec)
The Queen's Gallery
Light Years is a special four-part exhibition series in celebration of TPG’s 50th anniversary. (Ending Soon Sun, 13th Feb)
The Photographers' Gallery
Visit an 'abandoned' Tube station underworld and discover what secrets lurk beneath our busy streets in this Hidden London exhibition. (Ending Soon Mon, 31st Jul)
London Transport Museum
