Participatory art: what to check out this summer

Once upon a time looking at art was all about hushed reverence before exalted images and objects. Not any more. Two shows are taking audience participation to new levels. At Tate Modern, Beninese artist Meschac Gaba has installed his ‘Museum of Contemporary African Art’, a joyful gathering of autobiographical sculptures and installations in which visitor experience is way more important than the preservation of stuffy artefacts. Meanwhile, over at the Whitechapel Gallery, the artists, architects and designers featured in ‘The Spirit of Utopia’ invite you to get busy in the name of art, with the aim of making the world a better place for everyone. Here are the art works you’ll be longing to try out.