Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top 5 museum exhibitions to see in London in December. If you are after more exhibitions, check out last week’s top 5.
Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum at Barbican
Mona Hatoum’s politically charged works initially seem totally different to Giacometti’s spindly figures. However, they work well alongside each other when Giacometti’s head with an elongated nose transforms when it’s contained within Hatoum’s cage. Hatoum’s toy soldiers in a circle symbolise the endless cycle of war and death, and inhabit the same space as Giacometti’s figures based on sex workers he observed. Despite these differences, the exhibition works in pairing these two artists. I’m enjoying this exhibition series pairing contemporary artists with Giacometti, and this is the strongest one so far. Until 11th January, ticketed.
Future of Food at Science Museum
Will we be eating lab-grown meat and cricket burgers in the future? This is a fascinating look back and forward in food history. It charts our use of pesticides, the deforestation caused by agriculture, and the different fads that have come and gone, such as how margarine was seen as the healthier alternative to butter, and how palm oil was seen as a healthier alternative before we realised its ecological impacts. Until 4th January, free – ticketed.
Candice Lin: g/hosti at The Whitechapel Gallery
Walk around a spiralling maze made from cut-out walls to resemble vegetation, and be surrounded by a lot of animals, including plenty of cats. We can see through elements of the labyrinth, and it feels fun. That is, until you see the references to sex and death. It’s still playful, but the work has a darker side that slowly reveals itself. Until 11th January, free.
Voices of Resistance: Slavery and Post in the Caribbean at The Postal Museum
Many museums have a colonial history, but I wondered what links the postal museum would have, given that it’s less than 10 years old. This display reminded me that every part of the British infrastructure played a role in the Transatlantic slave trade, with the post allowing plantation owners to manage the administration of crops and slaves from across the pond. It’s an essential part of British history, and importantly this museum has acknowledged it. Until 5th January, ticketed.
Lucy Raven: Rounds at Barbican, The Curve
The room shakes with an explosion as water held behind a dam is let loose, and we follow its path to the Pacific Ocean and back again in this meditative video piece. To reach this majestically shot film, we must pass a large-scale kinetic sculpture whose speed and bright lights are intimidating, as it references the kinds of industrial machinery we rarely get close to. It’s two very different and memorable works. Until 4th January, free.
All images are courtesy of and copyright the respective museums and artists. Both Barbican photos are copyright Jo Underhill, Barbican Art Gallery. Science Museum image copyright of Science Museum Group. Candice Lin image copyright Above Ground Studio (Matt Greenwood).
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Art Critic for both FAD and Londonist. See as many exhibitions as possible and write reviews, opinion pieces and a weekly top 5 for FAD.