Our top picks of exhibitions together with cultural spaces and places, both online and in the real world.


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Viewing Femme-Ate, Soho Revue

To mark its re-opening, the Soho Revue’s latest exhibition offers a colourful celebration of female creativity. Entitled Femme-Ate – a compound of ‘femme’ (the French word for woman) and ‘create’ – the exhibition brings together a strong cast of female artists working today, whose art range from ceramics and sculpture to paintings and textile works. The result is a bold and exciting illustration of contemporary female creativity, even if – as is this exhibition’s raison d’être – their work continues to be overshadowed.

‘There isn’t nearly enough female art around, so I knew I wanted to re-open with a women-only show,’ says India Rose James, who founded the contemporary art space back in 2015. Among the artists featured in the show are ceramicist Alma Berrow, pencil artist Nettie Wakefield and multimedia artist Zoë Hoare, each of whom explore themes and subjects such as female bodies and realities.

Highlight pieces include a serene figurative painting by Amy Beager, as well as Polly Edsell’s collage featuring a female figure from old porn magazines by publisher Paul Raymond – the King of Soho who is also James’s grandfather. Such pieces are a lively example of how the space engages with its history in a fresh, contemporary way.

‘Walker’s Court has a history of showcasing women and I wanted to reclaim that in a more modern way,’ says James. ‘It’s a peep show kind of street. While it’s not about naked ladies anymore, we have naked women and tapestry orgies. It’s all playing on the same theme.’

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Dates
08 July 2021 — 07 August 2021

Viewing Creative Folkestone Triennial: The Plot


Now’s your chance to see works by leading contemporary artists alfresco. Installed across the coastal town of Folkestone, The Plot presents 27 newly commissioned site-specific artworks by the likes of Bob and Roberta Smith, Rana Begum and Gilbert & George.

Curated by Lewis Biggs, the fifth edition of the Creative Folkestone Triennial explores the relation between stories and material realities, focusing on three historic Folkestone narratives: St Eanswythe’s watercourse; the physician William Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of blood; and Folkestone’s industrial road ‘The Milky Way’.

Make a beeline for Jason Wilsher-Mills’s monumental sculpture, I am Argonaut, before scoping out Shezad Dawood’s new virtual reality artwork that highlights the implications of climate change on all forms of life. Later, take a stroll along the beach to see the magnificent set of Rana Begum designed beach huts.

Look to the public programme of events for guided tours, panel discussions and more. If you’re up for a cultural weekend by the sea, it’s well worth the trip from London.

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Dates
22 July 2021 — 02 November 2021
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Viewing Sophie Taeuber-Arp at Tate Modern

For a dose of mesmerising art, see Sophie Taeuber-Arp at Tate Modern, the first major UK exhibition of the abstract artist to date. Born in 1889, Taeuber-Arp carved out a career as a painter, architect, teacher, writer, and designer of textiles, marionettes and interiors in a time when women in the industry were often overshadowed. Now she is little-known outside of art world circles. This show aims to change that.

Bringing together over 200 objects from across her career, this magnificent new survey reveals her to be one of the most innovative artists and designers of the 20th-century avant-garde. Her vivid, geometric compositions and embroideries are shown alongside decorative works, spanning textiles, jewellery, rugs, interior design and more.

A key member of the Zurich Dada, Taeuber-Arp also explored performance art, dancing at the legendary Cabaret Voltaire and creating marionettes for the avant-garde interpretation of the play ‘King Stag’. These are on display alongside the splendid interior design commission for the Aubette, a modernist entertainment complex in Strasbourg, created in collaboration with her husband, the artist and poet Jean (Hans) Arp, and Theo Van Doesburg. It’s gratifying that she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves. An eye-opener, for sure.

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Dates
15 July 2021 — 17 October 2021
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Storehouse, including over 100 mini
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Happenings V&A East Storehouse

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