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


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There Is Light Somewhere Bahamian-born conceptual artist Tavares Strachan’s radiant first institutional exhibition explores light, knowledge and human resilience through an array of captivating multimedia installations. Playing with light and shadow, neon sculptures that pulse with energy, intricate glassworks that capture the ephemeral beauty of light – it’s all meticulously crafted to play with the senses and challenge the stability of perception, asking poignant questions of the viewer.

There’s a vast new piece, Intergalactic Palace, which houses the sound and light installation, Sonic Encyclopaedia. It teems with cross-cultural energy: materially, it makes allusions to East African minerals and the surface of Mars, to traditional thatched structures found in Uganda. This exhibition demonstrates Strachan’s expressive and inexhaustive use of materials, often using them to blur borders and draw metaphors.

Drawing on the artist’s ongoing research into the intersections of art, science, and history. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the immersive installation Encyclopedia of Invisibility, an ambitious project that catalogues 17,000 entries of forgotten figures of history, shining a light on the invisible and the marginalized. Another standout piece is The Astronaut’s Diary, a tribute to Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., the first African-American astronaut. The installation’s luminous quality evokes a sense of wonder, paying homage to the spirit of human endeavor. Strachan shines light where it’s most needed.

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Dates
18 June 2024 — 01 September 2024

Viewing Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail at V&A

Calling all the Swifties out there: step into the melodious world of the award-winning American artist at the Victoria and Albert Museum South Kensington this summer. An enchanting journey invites you to experience the storytelling genius of one of the most influential artists of our time through her costumes, accessories, instruments and outfits – and it’s free.

Presented through various galleries at V&A, the trail offers an intimate glimpse into Swift’s poetry and power as a storyteller, with thirteen stops, each showcasing a chapter in the songbook of Swift’s illustrious career to date, growing from a country prodigy to a pop powerhouse.

“Taylor Swift’s songs, like objects, tell stories, often drawing from art, history and literature. We hope this theatrical trail across the museum will inspire curious visitors to discover more about the performer, her creativity and V&A objects”, says curator Kate Bailey.

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London-based artist Rana Begum’s giant puffs of colourful mesh are always irresistible – more so in this latest, cascading installation titled Rana Begum: No.1367 Mesh at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, where they take over the gallery’s historic 18th century staircase, injecting vibrant colour into the space, with multiple possible perspectives and interactions with the light. The monumental No.1367 Mesh was designed specifically for Pallant House Gallery.

The British-Bangladeshi artist said of the work: “I’m interested in making colour feel tangible, giving it a physicality that accentuates how one tone interacts with another… it’s always important that the relationship between colour, geometry and texture creates a feeling of calm and tranquillity. I am fascinated by this duality – how the experience of exhilaration and meditation can coexist.”

“By bringing the relationship between form, colour and light into focus, I hope my work can extend beyond a gallery context and encourage the viewer to become more attuned to their everyday surroundings, more sensitive to the varying ways these three elements interact and the moments when they align to create something beautiful.” If you miss this one – Begum has a solo exhibition forthcoming in September at Kate MacGarry’s East London gallery.

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Dates
20 July 2024 — 31 July 2026
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