Art shows to leave the house for in December 2024

A collaborative exhibition at the British Museum – co-curated with Indra Khanna – whereby Guyanese-British artist Hew Locke examines British imperial power through the museum’s collection. Locke challenges and reframes narratives of British imperialism by juxtaposing historical objects with his newly commissioned works. The exhibition explores Britain’s colonial impact on Africa, India, the Caribbean, and Guyana, using interventionist techniques – like Locke’s own critiques – to provide fresh perspectives on museum history. Central to the exhibition are The Watchers, Locke's sculptures, which engage visitors in discussions on history, identity, and ownership.

what have we here? runs from October 17, 2024 – February 9, 2025 at British Museum, London, UK.

As We Rise offers a crucial celebration of Black life across the African Diaspora, curated by Elliott Ramsey. Featuring works from the Wedge Collection, the exhibition showcases the depth and breadth of Black identity through pioneering figures such as Malick Sidibé and emerging artists like texas isaiah. Spanning decades, the works offer visual narratives honouring community, resilience, and culture – from the Harlem Renaissance to the present day.

As We Rise runs from November 5, 2024 to January 20, 2025 at Saatchi Gallery, London, UK

London-based artists Joy Yamusangie and Bernice Mulenga explore the complexity of love in its many forms in this joint exhibition at the Haricot Gallery, London. Titled Sending My Love To You, Baby, the show is an intimate declaration resonating across the familial, romantic, and platonic lines and draws “from the temporal notion of ‘sending’ love”. Across paintings and photography, the works are imbued with tender stories that brim with emotion. 

Sending My Love To You, Baby runs from November 8 – December 14.

Following their acclaimed Whitechapel Gallery survey show earlier this year, American painter Nicole Eisenman presents an empathetic, provocative, and diverse series of portraits that reflect their deep connection with their subjects, ranging from close friends to cultural icons. Through expressive oil techniques and sculptural intimacy, Eisenman critiques the human condition while humorously tackling themes of survival and solitude. 

Nicole Eisenman runs from November 13, 2024 – January 25, 2025 at Sadie Coles, 8 Bury Street SW1Y.

A celebration of outcasts and overlooked objects through the work of DaddyBears, Dean JF Hoy, and Ted Le Swer is currently on show at Soup in southeast London. From refurbished dollhouses to melancholic stuffed bears and animated everyday garments, the artists reimagine discarded items with a sense of care and curiosity. By challenging notions of value and permanence, the artists create a sanctuary where misfits can find belonging. 

Welcome to the Island of Misfit Toys runs from November 7 – December 14, 2024 at Soup Gallery, London, UK.

London-based artist Emily Pope’s latest exhibition examines complex intersections of desire, class, and queerness through multimedia works that blend satire and raw introspection. Inspired by lesbian road movies and class tourism, Pope’s art critiques societal hierarchies while celebrating personal yearning and collective imagination. Rooted in working-class experiences and feminist subgenres, the show navigates poignant and playful contradictions to challenge dominant narratives with both humour and heart.

Something Absolutely Crucial runs from November 23, 2024 – January 12, 2025 at Quench Gallery, Margate, UK.

Curated by Ekow Eshun, New Suns is a stunning exhibition by artist David Ụzọchukwu that places Black figures in otherworldly landscapes. From charred forests to golden deserts, these photographs challenge colonial depictions of nature while exploring themes of marginalisation, climate change, and coexistence. Inspired by the late Afrofuturist author Octavia E. Butler’s parable, “There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns”, the works envision hopeful futures amid ecological and social crises, blending intimacy with apocalyptic grandeur.

New Suns runs from 7 November 2024 – 11 January 2025 at Sheriff Gallery, Paris, France.

Curated by American writer and critic Hilton Als, Triple Threat features over 40 drawings by London artist Somaya Critchlow, delving into themes of sensuality, identity, and myth. Influenced by Goya and Hogarth, Critchlow’s intricate works balance humour and intimacy while probing societal norms. Her works are layered with personal and historical narratives, from haunting veils to tender portraits, creating a bold dialogue on power and beauty.

Triple Threat runs from November 21, 2024 – February 8, 2025 at Maximillian William, London, UK

Annie Leibovitz’s Stream of Consciousness reimagines the photographic timeline, juxtaposing iconic portraits with never-before-seen works. Featuring portraits of Billie Eilish and Ketanji Brown Jackson, the exhibition plays on the tension between cultural landmarks and intimate moments. Themes of narrative, intuition, and universal resonance underpin Leibovitz’s work to offer a profound meditation on time and memory.

Annie Leibovitz: Stream of Consciousness runs from November 2, 2024 –  January 11, 2025, at Hauser & Wirth, 22nd Street, New York City, USA

Cosmotechnics – curated by Beatrice Zaidenberg – bridges culture and technology through immersive installations by Latin American artists: Patricia Domínguez, Rebeca Romero, and collectives Atractor Studio and Semantica. The exhibition invites reflection on sustainable futures, and plants serve as mediators between ecological wisdom and digital innovation, challenging notions of universality in technology and celebrating local cosmologies.

Cosmotechnics runs from November 8, 2024 – January 26, 2025 at FACT, Liverpool, UK

In this immersive exhibition, weaving video, sculpture, and architecture, artist Josh Kline imagines a near-future scarred by environmental catastrophe and systemic collapse. From sea-level rise to mass displacement, Kline’s deeply charged narrative explores the human cost of inaction on global warming, envisioning a dystopia eerily within reach. By engaging themes of labour, inequity, and resilience, his layered and meticulous works prompt urgent reflection on societal fragility and the power of collective response.

Climate Change runs until January 5, 2025, at MoCA, Los Angeles, USA.

Photographer Pia-Paulina Guilmoth’s Flowers Drink the River documents the beauty and terror of her gender transition while living in a rural, conservative town in Maine. Her flash-soaked photographs blend nocturnal rituals, delicate natural sculptures, and intimate moments to create a utopia of belonging. It’s a poignant tribute to queer resilience, rural landscapes, and animistic connections, evoking magic and safety amidst adversity.

Flowers Drink the River runs from November 13 – December 20, 2024, at Webber, London, UK.

Timur Si-Qin’s mediates on spirituality and ecology through sculptural installations inspired by biodiversity hotspots. Combining cutting-edge 3D printing with ancient wisdom, his works explore the interplay between nature and culture. Centred on a flowing river motif, the exhibition invites viewers to embrace faith in nature’s cyclical renewal while confronting ecological crises. Proceeds from select works will also fund land conservation efforts.

Trust The River runs from November 21, 2024 – January 12, 2025 at Albion Jeune, London, UK.

Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin’s immersive exhibition explores fragmented realities through a large-scale installation, two films, and a series of freestanding sculptures. At its heart is the "sculptural theatre," a hybrid environment that merges a wooden structure with a darkened greenhouse, blurring the line between interior and exterior, leisure and labour, observer and participant, and inviting viewers to question the roles we inhabit in constructed environments.

Building on their 2019 project, Whether Line, Fitch and Trecartin revisit archival footage to embrace ‘version-hood’, where multiple truths coexist. The works utilise gaming aesthetics to probe the creative potential and constraints of social systems, offering a rich and multi-layered commentary on identity, structure, and play.

It Waives Back runs October 24, 2024 – January 13, 2025 at Prada Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan.