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

All, Art, Auctions, Exhibitions, Travel & Hospitality, Initiatives

Viewing Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty

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Barbican Art Gallery, London

17 May — 22 August 2021

There hasn’t been a major Dubuffet exhibition in the UK for more than 50 years, but the Barbican has more than made up for it with this brilliant retrospective charting the extraordinary life and work of the ‘Art Brut’ pioneer.

The vast show explores Dubuffet’s radical postwar vision of a raw, gritty beauty and his endless experimentation with tools and materials, notably his mixing of paint with found materials such as glass, pebbles, string and gravel.

There are more than 150 works on display, from early portraits and lithographs to butterfly assemblages and giant doodle canvases. There are also two rooms of works from Dubuffet’s personal collection of ‘Art Brut’ (literally ‘raw’ art), including pieces by the medium Laure Pigeon.

‘Art should always make you laugh a little and fear a little,’ Dubuffet said. ‘Anything but bore.’ Needless to say, this exhibition does just that.

Viewing Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, in collaboration with StockX

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Design Museum, London

18 May — 24 October

Of all the icons and collaborations that have shaped the sneaker-collecting phenomenon, Michael Jordan has to be the most influential. In 1984, aged just 21, the hotshot basketball player signed with Nike, forging a partnership that would re-write the rules of athletic endorsements and collectability.

His Jumpman brand now turns over billions in resales each year and commands the attention of fans and collectors the world over.

The cultural journey and meteoric rise of the sneaker resale market (currently valued at $6 billion) is now the subject of a new show at London’s Design Museum. This exhibition charts how this footwear phenomenon – initially seen primarily in terms of athletic function – has transformed and challenged performance design, inspired new cultures and shaken the world of fashion.

Also under consideration are the high-fashion brands that have shaped the sneaker scene (think Y-3, Comme des Garçons and Balenciaga), as well as the design process behind some of the most technically innovative examples, including the world’s first biologically active shoes developed by MIT Design Lan and Biorealize for Puma.

After a year of slippers and sliders, sneakers are making an almighty comeback splash.

Viewing Alice: Curiouser & Curiouser

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V&A, London

22 May — 31 December 2021

Poised to make a spectacular entrance onto London’s stellar art scene is Alice: Curiouser & Curiouser, the V&A’s long-awaited exhibition celebrating one of the most imaginative and inspiring stories of all time.

This immersive and fantastical journey down the rabbit hole charts the evolution of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, from manuscript to global cultural phenomenon beloved by children and adults alike. It also looks at the book’s influence on artists and creatives in the worlds of fashion, film, performance, art, music and photography. Think Salvador Dalí, Yayoi Kusama, The Beatles and Vivienne Westwood, among others.

Standout exhibits include Royal Opera House stage costumes, fashion from Iris van Herpen and photography by Tim Walker. There’s also a mind-bending game of croquet in VR to join and a ‘through the looking glass-inspired’ digital art installation to explore.

Its theatrical sets, immersive environments and VR experiences make this enchanting exhibition best enjoyed IRL with kids or friends in tow. Just don’t be late booking a ticket — they’re selling like hotcakes.