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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Common Works Architects, USA: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023Common Works’ White House makes the most of a skinny Oklahoma City plot
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A Clarence Dillon estates tour offers an unparalleled way to experience Bordeaux
Clarence Dillon produces some of the world's finest wine. We take a trip to their vineyards to see how
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Rome Colosseum bookshop design is based on a light, modular system
The bookshops at Rome’s Colosseum are part of Migliore+Servetto’ new concept for Italian publishing house Electa
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Edinburgh Art Festival 2023: from bog dancing to binge drinking
What to see at Edinburgh Art Festival 2023, championing women and queer artists, whether exploring Scottish bogland on film or casting hedonism in ceramic
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Last chance to see: Devon Turnbull’s ‘HiFi Listening Room Dream No. 1’ at Lisson Gallery, London
Devon Turnbull/OJAS’ handmade sound system matches minimalist aesthetics with a profound audiophonic experience – he tells us more
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Hospital Rooms and Hauser & Wirth unite for a sensorial London exhibition and auction
Hospital Rooms and Hauser & Wirth are working together to raise money for arts and mental health charities
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Step inside Sarabande Foundation’s dreamy summer exhibition
Sarabande Foundation has created a house and lush garden at its London studio for its summer exhibition, ‘Sum’
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‘These Americans’: Will Vogt documents the USA’s rich at play
Will Vogt’s photo book ‘These Americans’ is a deep dive into a world of privilege and excess, spanning 1969 to 1996
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Brian Eno extends his ambient realms with these environment-altering sculptures
Brian Eno exhibits his new light box sculptures in London, alongside a unique speaker and iconic works by the late American light artist Dan Flavin
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Asim Waqif creates dense bamboo display at the Hayward in London
The Bagri Foundation Commission, Asim Waqif’s वेणु [Venu], opens at the Hayward Gallery in London
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Forrest Myers is off the wall at Catskill Art Space this summer
Forrest ‘Frosty’ Myers makes his mark at Catskill Art Space, NY, celebrating 50 years of his monumental Manhattan installation, The Wall
![The Bagri Foundation Commission: Asim Waqif, वेणु [Venu], 2023. Courtesy of the artist. Photo © Jo Underhill. exterior](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QgFpUHisSVxoTW6BbkC6nS-800-80.jpg.webp)
