10 Free Contemporary Art Exhibitions to see in East London (2023 and 2024)
Discover the vibrant art scene of East London with my list of 10 Free Contemporary Art Exhibitions to visit in East London during 2023 and 2024.
At these contemporary art exhibitions you will be able to immerse yourself in the work of local and international artists, and delve into diverse themes, from thought-provoking social commentary to mesmerising abstract compositions.
So, please read on to discover a contemporary art exhibition to visit in East London.
1. Concrete and Clay: Archiving the Barbican at The Barbican Centre
Address: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS
Duration: 6th April 2023 to 5th April 2024
The installation Concrete and Clay at the Barbican invites visitors to explore the complex histories of the buildings through a changing display of stories and objects, featuring a 1:22-scale model of the Barbican Centre and Barbican Estate.
The materials for the display are derived from the Centre's original materials, providing an authentic representation of its history.
The location of the display is Level G, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.
2. It All Starts With a Thread at Whitechapel Gallery
Address: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX
Duration: 18th August 2023 to 31st December 2023
The exhibition It All Starts With a Thread at Whitechapel Gallery explores the concept of thread as a connecting force and material for creation, delving into its significance in relationships, time, and space. This exhibition aims to reimagine and reconfigure relationships between people and their interactions with time and space.
The exhibition includes works from artists such as Bella Howard, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Collective, Fikayo Adebajo, Julia Dèng Hànzú, Katarzyna Perlak, Lu Williams (Grrrl Zine), Raisa Kabir, and Tilda Scarlett.
3. Julianknxx: Chorus in Rememory of Flight at The Barbican Centre
Address: Barbican Centre, Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS
Duration: 14th September 2023 to 11th February 2024
Julianknxx is a Sierra Leonian artist, poet, and filmmaker known for exploring themes of inheritance, loss, and belonging.
The exhibition Chorus in Rememory of Flight is showcased at The Curve in the Barbican. The artist deconstructs dominant perspectives on African art, history, and culture using his personal history as a prism. The artwork is rich with symbolism and conveys the Black experience, rejecting labels and forming new collective narratives.
The exhibition aims to provide a new understanding of identity and place, emphasising the concept of being caught between multiple places.
Choirs and musicians from various European cities contribute to the exhibition, offering a collaborative space of communication.
4. Reversion at Cell Project Space
Address: Cell Project Space, 258 Cambridge Heath Rd, Cambridge Heath, London E2 9DA
Duration: 14th September 2023 to 19th November 2023
Ksenia Pedan, born in Ukraine in 1986, is an artist based in London and Stockholm, focusing on sculpture and installation.
Ksenia Pedan’s solo exhibition Reversion at Cell Project Space features a room-size assemblage of installations and paintings that challenge the concept of ‘interior’ and explore unfeeling and unrecognized emotions. The artist’s work blurs the lines between domestic and public spaces.
The exhibition features a room-size assemblage of installations and paintings that redefines the notion of ‘interior’. Her installations challenge conventional perceptions of art spaces by referencing entropy and decay in environments, objects, and emotions.
5. Benoît Piéron at Chisenhale Gallery
Address: Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road, London, E3 5QZ
Duration: 14th September 2023 to 12th November 2023
Photo Credit: Benoît Piéron, Production image (2023). Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. Courtesy of the artist.
Benoît Piéron’s upcoming exhibition at Chisenhale Gallery explores illness and hallucination as spaces of potential and abundance. His art draws inspiration from hospitals and medical environments, transforming materials to create enchanting worlds free of binaries and boundaries.
Piéron’s art focuses on untangling the sensuality of plants, the borders of the body, and the temporality of waiting rooms. His work deals with the uncertainty of life, death, and immunity, drawing on materials from medical environments.
6. Paula Rego: Letting Loose at Victoria Miro Gallery
Address: Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW
Duration: 22no September 2023 to 11th November 2023
The exhibition Letting Loose at Victoria Miro Gallery showcases works by Paula Rego from the 1980s, a transformative period where she embraced creative freedom and self-discovery, leading to significant artistic breakthroughs.
During this period, she shifted from creating collages to embracing her childhood passion for painting as a form of play. This change allowed Rego’s to shift to rapid and fluid work, allowing her to explore new artistic territories. She started creating a diverse cast of characters including humans, animals, and hybrid creatures, with a clear story narrative.
7. Armet Francis: Beyond The Black Triangle at Autograph
Address: Autograph, Rivington Place, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3BA
Duration: 22nd September 2023 to 20th January 2024
Armet Francis: Beyond The Black Triangle is a free photography exhibition at Autograph in London, showcasing the work of Armet Francis, a Jamaican-British photographer who has dedicated over 40 years to documenting the lives of people in the African diaspora. The exhibition highlights his profound understanding of black consciousness and his celebration of the resilience and survival of diasporic cultures.
His photographs capture moments of black joy, celebration, and resilience. The artist’s personal experiences of displacement and political alienation as an immigrant from Jamaica to Britain in the 1950s influenced his work.
Francis coined the concept of ‘The Black Triangle’ in 1969, symbolising Africa, the Americas, and Europe, which guided his photographic practice.
His work also includes images of young black Londoners protesting for justice after the New Cross Fire of 1981 and portraits of political activist Angela Davis.
8. Hélène Amouzou: Voyages at Autograph
Address: Autograph, Rivington Place, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3BA
Duration: 22nd September 2023 to 20th January 2024
The exhibition, titled Hélène Amouzou: Voyages at Autograph, focuses on Amouzou’s self-portraits that delve into complex emotions related to displacement, exile and identity.
Hélène Amouzou’s work raises questions about seeking refuge, the feelings of belonging and unbelonging, living in limbo, and the weight carried by the body.
“Autoportrait – Molenbeek” (2007-2011) was created during Amouzou’s period of seeking asylum in Belgium, portraying her amidst suitcases and a destitute attic. The recurring presence of suitcases in Amouzou’s work symbolises the precarious situation faced by those forced into movement due to political dissonance.
9. Ali Banisadr: The Changing Past at Victoria Miro Gallery
Address: Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW
Duration: 11th October 2023 to 11th November 2023
Ali Banisadr was born in Tehran in 1976 and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
The exhibition Ali Banisadr: The Changing Past at Victoria Miro Gallery showcases the intricate paintings of Ali Banisadr. The artist is known for his complex and intricate paintings that combine various references from history, art history, and contemporary issues.
The exhibition features a significant collection of paintings completed over the past two years, inviting viewers to experience diverse art histories and cultures while reflecting on contemporary issues through the lens of the past. His artwork features syncopated rhythms and draws influences from Persian miniature tradition, Mesopotamia, Abstract Expressionism, Dutch masters, Venetian Renaissance, and Surrealism.
10. Nicole Eisenman: What Happened at Whitechapel Gallery
Address: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX
Duration: 11th October, 2023 to 14th January 2024
The artist, Nicole Eisenman, was born in Verdun, France, in 1965, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
The exhibition Nicole Eisenman: What Happened at Whitechapel Gallery presents a major retrospective of Nicole Eisenman's three-decade career, featuring over 100 artworks that explore socio-political issues with a humorous approach.
Eisenman’s practice is characterised by its range and formal inventiveness. The artworks are arranged chronologically across eight sections, highlighting her critical and humorous exploration of socio-political issues, such as gender, identity, sexual politics, civic turmoil, protest, activism, and technology’s impact on relationships.
The exhibition aims to provide insights into Eisenman’s work and practice through a public program and a full-colour catalogue.
I hope you have found this information about free contemporary art exhibitions in East London useful. If you have visited any of these exhibitions, I would love to hear your thoughts, please email me and let me know at sarahransomeart@gmail.com.
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