Fancy seeing an art show this weekend but no idea where to go? Well look no further. You can't go wrong if you head down to one of our ten favourite art exhibitions taking place in the capital right now.
Over in Paris they’ve had an all-night art festival for more than a decade. Nuit Blanche is the inspiration for Art Night, our very own late-night arty party. This wee-hours festival promises to keep art lovers awake until 2am (blame Westminster Council for it not going till dawn) with performances, installations and films in incredible central London locations, organised with the help of the Institute of Contemporary Arts. This is your chance not only to see some awesomely cutting-edge art, but to sneak into buildings you’d never normally be allowed in. Neck your Pro Plus, you’re going to want to stay awake for this.
1. BALLET ON SOME STAIRS:
Expect lots of colourfully dressed people dancing on the Duke of York Steps (near the Mall) in this performance-meets-workplace-injury-court-case-waiting-to-happen, created in collaboration by Linder in collaboration with composer Maxwell Sterling and featuring loads of dancers and singers.
2. AN INSTALLATION IN AN EMPTY OFFICE:
The brilliant Turner Prize-winner Laure Prouvost is taking over the vacant former government building, Admiralty Arch, with a sound installation and a collection of signs.
3. A TRIP INTO AN ABANDONED STATION:
There must be a venn diagram somewhere where art fans and tube nerds overlap. That’s Koo Jeong A’s target audience with this immersive installation in which she’s filling a spooky disused tube stop in Charing Cross with scents and lights.
4. PERFORMANCE ART IN A PIAZZA:
No floating Yodas or enormous unicycles here. Instead, Cecilia Bengolea is mixing video projection, Jamaican dancehall and classical ballet for this large-scale public spectacle in Covent Garden Piazza.
5. A GIANT OUTDOOR EXERCISE CLASS:
Hundreds of people will take part in this mass exercise class in the courtyard of Somerset House. It’s all about spirituality and cultural, social and political action. Like Pilates, but arty. Pil-art-es?
6. A FILM SCREENED IN A CHURCH:
American artist Jennifer West will be projecting an intensely personal piece of colourful and totally whacked-out psychedelic video art in this historic church St Mary le Strand.
7. PAINTINGS IN A BRUTALIST BUILDING:
Celia Hempton's awesome paintings keep managing to escape the canvas, covering walls and sculptural objects with big washes of colour. Here, she’s transforming the stark concrete spaces of empty office block 180 Strand.
8. DANCING IN A HISTORIC BUILDING:
Amazingly ornate 1895 mansion Two Temple Place will host a series of dance-based performances by this intriguing Swiss artist Alexandra Bachzetsis.
9. A PERFORMANCE IN A LUXURY PAD:
Get ready to try to figure out what a ‘performance sculpture’ is in this fascinating installation by Nina Beier in a new luxury show flat 190 Strand, which even features a dog.
10. JAZZ IN A CATHEDRAL:
Joan Jonas, a hugely influential American performance artist, is setting up shop in the incredible Southwark Cathedral, collaborating with jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran.
London's first Art Night takes place on July 2 2016 across various venues in central London.
