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


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Viewing Crossing Into Darkness

Curated by the indomitable Dame Tracey Emin, Crossing Into Darkness is a powerful and timely group exhibition at Carl Freedman Gallery bringing together an extraordinary roster of international artists — including Louise Bourgeois, Francisco Goya, Marlene Dumas, Georg Baselitz, Antony Gormley, Gilbert & George, Edvard Munch, Anselm Kiefer and others, alongside works by Emin herself — whose practices explore the profound and often unsettling dimensions of human experience.

Rather than presenting darkness as something merely fearful, the exhibition frames it as a necessary threshold toward renewal and insight. The works confront feelings of melancholy, despair, fragmentation, uncertainty and transformation — experiences that feel especially resonant in the current era of upheaval. Within this context, darkness becomes a metaphoric space for reflection and emotional immersion, rather than an endpoint. Emin’s selection emphasises art’s capacity to penetrate and resonate with the soul, underscoring her belief that encountering difficult emotions through art can be a deeply human and cathartic process.

Presented across the gallery’s spacious three exhibition rooms in the converted Thanet Press building, Crossing Into Darkness is free and promises to be an immersive experience — one that asks us to consider how confronting the shadowy aspects of life can ultimately lead toward light, empathy and understanding.

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Viewing London Art Fair

The London Art Fair 2026 is one of the premier events in the UK art calendar, returning for its 38th edition from 21–25 January 2026 (with a preview evening on 20 January) at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. This annual fair has become a key moment for both seasoned collectors and new audiences to explore the best in modern and contemporary art at the start of the year.

At the heart of the fair is the Main Fair Galleries section, where over 120 galleries from the UK and around the world present a wide range of works spanning from early twentieth-century modern masters to cutting-edge contemporary art. Highlights this year include displays of works by notable figures such as Tracey Emin, Sean Scully, Barbara Hepworth, William Kentridge and rare prints by David Hockney, alongside group and solo presentations that reflect diverse artistic voices In addition to the main exhibitions, the fair’s Platform section—curated in 2026 by Dr. Ferren Gipson under the theme The Unexpected—showcases innovative and experimental work that challenges traditional definitions of art through material, process and form. Don’t miss talks too – among them, a panel lead by TF Chan on collecting the unexpected, and a panel discussion on radial care moderated by Victoria Comstock-Kershaw, Editor of FETCH London. With around 24,000 visitors expected, London Art Fair 2026 remains an essential destination for anyone interested in the vibrancy and diversity of today’s art world, from a distinctly London point of view. The London Art Fair 2026 is one of the premier events in the UK art calendar, returning for its 38th edition from 21–25 January 2026 (with a preview evening on 20 January) at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. This annual fair has become a key moment for both seasoned collectors and new audiences to explore the best in modern and contemporary art at the start of the year.

With around 24,000 visitors expected, London Art Fair 2026 remains an essential destination for anyone interested in the vibrancy and diversity of today’s art world, from a distinctly London point of view.

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Viewing For All At Last Return

The BALTIC’s group exhibition For All At Last Return is an immersive and reflective exploration of our complex and urgent relationship with the world’s marine ecosystems. Free to visit, the group show brings together works by British and international artists working at the intersection of art, ecology and science to investigate habitats from intertidal zones and coral reefs to the open ocean and deep sea, including Shezad Dawood, Joan Jonas, Otobong Nkanga and Monia al Qadiri.

Many of these artists have collaborated with marine biologists, oceanographers and researchers, drawing attention to the impact of human activities – from climate change to overfishing – on ocean life and fragile aquatic communities. Across photography, video, sculpture, installation and experimental media, For All At Last Return invites audiences on a global journey beneath the waves, from familiar coastal waters to remote and often unseen underwater worlds. Works respond to both scientific knowledge and lived experience, with some addressing ecological degradation and others imagining possibilities for regeneration and resilience.

The exhibition’s title is inspired by the writings of marine biologist Rachel Carson, signalling a broader cultural reflection on our place within oceanic systems and how we might better care for these vast, interconnected environments. For All At Last Return stands as both an artistic and ecological manifesto, urging deeper engagement with the seas that cover more than 70 % of our planet.

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Dates
08 November 2025 — 07 June 2026
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