What’s On: Exhibition and Events - September 2023

September is here, Another What’s On Monthly Round Up, full of exhibitions & events going on.

Eric Gyamfi: Fixing Shadows
– Julius and I

When: 28 Apr - 2 Sep 2023
Where: Autograph, London
About: How photography can shift meanings and histories – ‘fixing shadows’ of legacy, absence, and revival
> More information here

Ajamu: The Patron Saint of Darkrooms

When: 28 Apr - 2 Sep 2023
Where: Autograph, London
About: Unapologetically celebrating black queer bodies and pleasure as activism
> More information here

Atta Kwami: Maria Lassing Prize Mural

When: until 3 Sept 2023
Where: Serpentine North Garden
About: The last mural commission from the late painter, printmaker, independent art historian and curator, Atta Kwami (1956 – 2021). The mural originates from a painting that Kwami was reworking in his studio in 2021 shortly before his death, making this the final, landmark public work of his pioneering oeuvre. The commission results from Kwami winning the 2021 Maria Lassnig Prize.
> More information here

Carrie Mae Weems: Reflections for Now

When: 22 Jun – 3 Sept
Where: Barbican
About: Explore the work and career of Carrie Mae Weems in this first major UK exhibition dedicated to one of the most influential American artists working today.
> More information on ticket prices / event information here

Portrait Of a Top Boy

When: 09 - 13 Sep 2023
Where: Somerset House
About: A pop-up exhibition that commemorates the cultural impact that Top Boy has had on British television, in both its representation of life on the estates of east London, and its support and mentoring of emerging British talent.
> More information here

BLACK VENUS: Reclaiming Black Women in Visual Culture

When 20 Jul– 24 Sept 2023
Where: Terrace Rooms & Courtyard Rooms, Somerset House, London
About:The exhibition examines the historical representation and shifting legacy of Black women in visual culture. Curated by Aindrea Emelife, BLACK VENUS brings together the work of over 20 Black women and non-binary artists to explore the othering, fetishisation and reclamation of narratives around Black femininity.
> More information on Somerset Website here

Johny Pitts: Home is Not a Place

When: 23 Jun - Sun 24 Sep 2023
Where: The Photographers Gallery
About: In 2021, photographer and writer, Johny Pitts, and poet Roger Robinson travelled around the British coast in search of an answer to the question 'What is Black Britain?' Their collaboration became Home is Not a Place > More information here

Somali Museum: Any-Space-Whatever

When: 14 Jun - 1 Oct
Where: Whitechapel Gallery
About: Somali Museum UK is a virtual and physical container for the varied stories of Somalia and Somali people based globally and in the UK. Combining an art gallery, library, archive, museum, dance and music studio in one space, the museum radically reimagines what a ‘museum’ is and what it can do.
> More information on ticket prices / event information here

Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage To The Lakes

When: 5 Jul - 29 Oct 2023
Where: South London Gallery
About: Known as ‘Little Lagos’, Peckham is home to one of the largest Nigerian diaspora communities in the UK. Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes is a major group exhibition looking at the connections between Lagos in Nigeria and Peckham in south east London.
> More information on ticket prices / event information here

Hair: Untold Stories

When: 10 Feb - 29 Oct 2023
Where: Weston Park Museum, Sheffield
About: There’s more to hair than washing, combing and cutting. It’s an extraordinary, renewable fibre with a range of unexpected possibilities. This new exhibition puts the substance before the style and unfurls the untold stories of hair.
> More information here

Julianknxx: Chorus in Rememory of Flight

When: 14 Sep 2023 - 11 Feb 2024
Where: Barbican
About: Poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx explores themes of inheritance, loss and belonging as he crosses the boundaries between written word, music and visual art.
> More information here

DIVA

When: 24 Jun 2023 – 7 Apr 2024
Where: Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington, London
About: DIVA will celebrate the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of 'diva' and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.
> More information here

Did you know these shows were happening or are they news to you?