Spring hasn't really sprung yet, has it? We're wearing as many layers as December, and our bank balances haven't restored themselves sufficiently after Christmas to book a weekend away.
The good news is, there's a great set of new shows opening this month to tide over wet and windy weekends in the capital. Whether you're looking to fill-up on an outsider's look at British culture, or seeking some affordable art to deck out your flat, London's got it all this month.
Hilma af Klint: Painting the Unseen
Serpentine Gallery, 3 March - 15 March 2016
Swedish painter Hilma af Klint was an early adopter and pioneer of abstract art - her experimental, larger than life canvasses pre-dated the abstract artists we all know, like Mondrian and Kandinsky. She and four other female artists formed a group known as "The Five" ( de fem), where they shared a practice of communication with the 'higher spirits', and her work subsequently acts as a visual representation of these complex spiritual ideas. Her paintings weren't widely exhibited until 1986, after her death in 1944.
Entry is free.
Photo: Courtesy of Moderna Museet / Stockholm
Battersea Evolution, 9 - 13 March 2016
Let's face it, for those of us not able to drop the G's at Frieze and the London Art Fair, the Affordable Art Fair is a great place to start to dip your toe into the world of art buying. Expect a younger, more creative clientele at this Battersea affair, one of London's creative hubs with the new RCA campus just around the corner. Works are available from £100 upwards.
Tickets from £10, available here.
Photo: Courtesy of Anna Marrow/GAS Gallery
Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealed by International Photographers
Barbican Centre, 16 March - 19 June 2016
Curated by acclaimed photographer and connoisseur of British culture Martin Parr, this show consists of international photographers' portraits of Britain – those who've never put down roots here. Expect to see work by world-renowned photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rineke Dijkstra, Robert Frank, Paul Strand, Tina Barney and Bruce Gilden and the perfect "outsider's view", covering scenes from the coronation of George VI, to the 2011 London riots, to the everyday.
Tickets £12, book here.
Photo: Courtesy of AKIHIKO OKAMURA/THE ESTATE OF AKIHIKOOKAMURA, HAKODATE, JAPAN
Science Museum, 16 March – 19 June 2016
For the geeks amongst us, the annual Wellcome Image Awards showcases a collection of images that capture the breathtaking beauty of scientific discovery. 2016’s winning images include highly detailed depictions of the human brain, and (as shown here) the choroidal space within the human eye. And we thought it looked like a shortcut on Mario Kart.
Entry is free.
Photo: Courtesy of Peter Maloca/Wellcome Images
Paul Strand: Photography and Film for the 20th Century
Victoria & Albert Museum, 19 March - 3 July 2016
At the V&A this month, a retrospective of the work of American photographer and film maker, Paul Strand - the first in the UK since the artist’s death in 1976. One of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, Strand's images have defined the way fine art and documentary photography has been understood and practised to date. Taught by social reformer and photographer Lewis Hine, the humanist thread in Strand's work is evident. The stare on the face of ' Young Boy ' (pictured) is arresting, a hint of what to expect in the bulk of work on show in this exhibit.
Tickets £10, book here.
Photo: Courtesy of Paul Strand Archive/Aperture FoundationLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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