A quarter of a century ago, Tate Modern opened its doors for the very first time. In the intervening years, it’s become a bastion of modern art in the UK, continuously hosting thought-provoking, eye-opening exhibitions and supporting artists from around the world. It would be remiss, then, not to celebrate such an icon’s birthday and, luckily, the celebrations are going to be plentiful. Across one long weekend in May, the institution will mark its anniversary with a series of workshops, talks, tours, free experiences, live music performances, DJ sets and food and drink offers.
Witness live tarot reading as part of Meschac Gaba’s ‘Museum of Contemporary African Art’ exhibition, or watch a specially commissioned performance by Abbas Zahedi in ‘Gathering Ground’, which explores ecological crisis and social justice. Over in the Tanks, Lawrence Lek will build a near future shaped by sentient AI using live gameplay and cinematic footage, while Marîa Magdalena Campos-Pons will lead a new performance responding to the history and architecture of the Tate Modern’s former power station shell.
There’ll be some blasts from the past, too, like Louise Bourgeois’ giant bronze spider ‘Maman’, which once greeted visitors when the gallery first opened in 2000. A new trail of 25 key works will take art lovers through the Tate’s collection and introduce them to important pieces by renowned stars like Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalî, plus artists with less household name status, such as Outi Pieski, Edgar Calel and Nalini Malani.
On the Friday and Saturday evenings, the gallery will come alive with the sound of music. On the former, the spotlight will be put on South London’s creative communities and young talent, while the latter will see Daytimers and Foundation FM take over with DJ sets across the building, alongside ive performances in Turbine Hall.
The whole weekend has been developed in partnership with Uniqlo, who’ll also host drop-in family workshops and, from May 5 to September 16, a special collaborative Uniqlo Tate Shop, featuring a customisable T-shirt station, personalised embroidery and a host of art-inspired activities and workshops.