Exhibitions

David Lachapelle: Happy Together at Visu Contemporary, Miami: January 26 – March 2, 2024
The inimitable David LaChapelle is the focus of a new retrospective at Visu Contemporary in Miami. Titled Happy Together, this show will feature more than 30 works from across the lauded US photographer’s career, beginning with his early photographs made in 1980s New York through a brand new work inspired by Raphael’s painting The Three Graces. Visitors will be invited to explore LaChappelle’s era-defining style – think eye-popping colour, surreal set-ups and captivating narratives – as well as the themes that recur throughout his oeuvre (religion, identity, fame and more).

Making New Worlds: Li Yuan-chia & Friends at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge: Until February 18, 2024
Be sure to catch Making New Worlds, the current show at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge – a joyful ode to friendship and imagination. It celebrates the pioneering vision of Chinese artist Li Yuan-chia and the LYC, a museum he founded and ran between 1972 and 1983 in the Cumbrian village of Banks, spotlighting everything from Roman artefacts and works by major figures of British modernism to local artists and contemporary practices. The exhibition puts the LYC into conversation with Kettle’s Yard, examining how both spaces sought to encourage new ways of encountering art and fostering community.

Claude Cahun: Beneath This Mask at the Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham: January 13 – March 17, 2024
On January 13, the Hayward Gallery’s touring exhibition Beneath This Mask, dedicated to the French surrealist photographer Claude Cahun, will arrive at the Djanogly Gallery in Nottingham, its first destination of the year. Cahun was born Lucy Schwob in 1894 but changed her name in 1917 to “free herself from the narrow confines of gender”. She is best known for her compelling self-portraits for which she adopted a series of different personae to challenge portraiture tradition and the constructed nature of identity and gender. Don’t miss your chance to view the most famous of these, and many others, in the flesh in this enlightening 42-print show.

Cute at Somerset House, London: January 25 – April 14, 2024
Where once the notion of “cuteness” was deemed chocolate-boxy and twee, today cute things hold a surprising amount of cultural capital. Why? That’s exactly what Somerset House’s upcoming exhibition seeks to discover, bringing together “new artist commissions, and cultural phenomena such as music, fashion, toys, video games and social media” for the purpose. Expect to see works by Mike Kelley, Juliana Huxtable, Hannah Diamond and Sin Wai Kin, alongside plushies, kittens, hearts and stars in abundance.

Doron Langberg: Night at Victoria Miro, London: January 26 – March 28, 2024
For a dose of January escapism, head to London’s Victoria Miro Gallery where rising American artist Doron Langberg’s new series of paintings will take viewers on a nocturnal tour of nightclubs and beach dance parties. Titled after queer New York parties and club nights, the evocative large-scale paintings serve as an ode to “the spaces of ambiguity, opportunity and liberation that open up after dark”.

Iris Van Herpen, Sculpting The Senses at Musée Des Arts Décoratifs, Paris: Until April 28, 2024
Paris-bound fashion aficionados are in for a treat: MAD’s new Iris van Herpen exhibition contains over 100 pieces by the trailblazing Dutch designer, whose work fuses bold technological innovation with traditional couture craftsmanship to utterly breathtaking effect. Van Herpen’s intricate creations are shown in dialogue with various works of contemporary art and design, as well as scientific wonders such as skeletons and fossils, to spotlight their maker’s multifaceted influences and inspirations.

Present Tense ​at Hauser & Wirth Somerset​: 27 January – 28 April, 2024​
At Hauser & Wirth in Somerset, a forthcoming exhibit will platform the work of 23 of the most exciting emerging and mid-career artists living and working in the UK today, including Lydia Blakeley, Clementine Keith-Roach, Sang Woo Kim, George Rouy and Ebun Sodipo. “Through their individual lens, each [featured] artist is responding to the cultural climate of the UK right now,” the gallery explains, “depicting a range of lived experiences that co-exist and connect within the rich fabric of the same location.”

Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility at The Guggenheim, New York: Until April 7, 2024
In artistic terms, the phrase “going dark” describes a tactic whereby an artist visually conceals the body to “explore a key tension in contemporary society: the desire to be seen [and/or] to be hidden from sight”. So explains The Guggenheim, New York, where an exhibition on the subject is currently installed in the museum’s iconic rotunda, featuring works by 28 artists. Spanning key pieces from the 60s and 70s by David Hammons, Faith Ringgold and Charles White, through to contemporary works by the likes of Lorna Simpson, Chris Ofili and Farah Al Qasimi, the show deftly traces the link between the development of conceptual art and the resulting “pathways of expression” that laid the groundwork for artists “tackling the ‘edge of visibility’ today”.

J. K. Bruce-Vanderpuije at Efie Gallery, Dubai: From January 12, 2024
At Efie Gallery in Dubai, a soon-to-open show illuminates a little-known but important forefather of 20th-century African photography: Ghanaian artist JK Bruce-Vanderpuije. Dating back as early as the 1930s, the exquisitely composed works on display (which have been lovingly restored by Bruce-Vanderpuije’s granddaughter) track Ghana’s transformation over the 20th century, “from colonial Gold Coast to independent [nation]”.

Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco: January 20 – August 11, 2024
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, a new exhibition at the de Young gallery sees the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco present 100 sartorial designs from its own extensive collection, alongside a number of local loans, to tell the story of San Francisco’s evolution across the 20th and 21st centuries by way of dress. Visitors will be privy to pieces by Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Comme des Garçons, Rodarte and more in this unique study of the city’s “long-standing tradition of self-expression through fashion”.

Jeff Wall at Fondation Beyeler, Basel: Janury 28 – April 21, 2024
Since the late 1970s, lauded Canadian image-maker Jeff Wall has established himself as a master of staged photography. His “intricately and subtly composed” shots, which are usually captured in large format and inspired by daily life and art history, “resemble carefully crafted film stills” imbued with narrative intrigue and social critique. Arriving at Basel’s Fondation Beyeler at the end of the month, a comprehensive survey, designed in close collaboration with Wall himself, is set to offer new insight into the artist’s distinctive practice and the themes that underpin it.

Josephine Baker: Icon in Motion at Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin: January 26 – April 28, 2024
The legendary American dancer, singer, actress and civil rights activist Josephine Baker is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie, which will examine the star’s many “facets and staging strategies [via] an audiovisual essay”. The show will also investigate her visionary dance style, honed during her time as a Vaudeville performer in 1920s Paris, as well as her “sensual, dramatic and humorous” onscreen presence, which has rendered her an enduring icon of 20th-century cinema.

Events & Performances

There are lots of enticing shows and productions to tempt you off the sofa this January. At the Barbican, be sure to catch the Royal Shakespeare Company and Joe Hisaishi award-winning staging of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime classic My Neighbour Totoro. Running until March 23, the story of “one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei” promises two hours and 40 minutes of awe-inspiring delight for children and adults alike.

At the National Theatre from January 12–27, acclaimed physical theatre company Gecko presents Kin, “a provocative story of desperation, compassion and acceptance”. The performance is inspired by the migration stories of the troupe’s international performers, in particular that of Leah, the grandmother of artistic director Amit Lahav, who migrated from Yemen to Palestine as a child.

Following its sell-out run on Broadway, the revival of Neil Simon’s romantic comedy Plaza Suite arrives at London’s Savoy Theatre on January 17. In it, three couples (one of which is played by real-life partners Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick) find themselves “entangled in hilariously outlandish situations” within the walls of the Plaza Suite hotel room.

At the Harold Pinter Theatre from January 27, don’t miss The Hills of California, the much-anticipated new play from Jez Butterworth, directed by frequent collaborator Sam Mendes. Set in 1970s Blackpool, it sees two sisters return to their dying mother’s run-down guest house to bid her a final farewell.

Then there’s the Royal Opera House’s new production of Elektra, Strauss’s thrilling take on the classic Greek tragedy, running from January 12–30. Expect “musical and dramatic fireworks” from Nina Stemme as the titular anti-heroine hellbent on revenge against her own mother. Last but not least, Fellini fans will be thrilled by renowned ballerina Alina Cojocaru’s reimagining of the Italian director’s formative masterpiece La Strada, making its world premiere at Sadler’s Wells from January 25–28 and set to Nino Rota’s poignant film scores.

Film

When it comes to cinematic offerings, 2024 is off to a particularly strong start. This January, Sofia Coppola makes her return with Pricilla, a searing look at the relationship between Pricilla Presley and Elvis, who wooed the young teen while serving in the US army in Germany. Sublime cinematography and exquisite storytelling ensue, propelled by a magnetic performance from newcomer Cailee Spaeny. Yorgos Lanthimos also makes a keenly awaited return with sublime fantasy Poor Things, a postmodern retelling of Frankenstein, centred on a young woman brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist. A cult classic in the making, The Holdovers from US director Alexander Payne zooms in on a New England boarding school in 1970, where a curmudgeonly history teacher has been set the task of caring for a small group of students with nowhere to go for the Christmas break.

Slow-burning, immersive and deeply poetic, Samsara by Spanish director Lois Patiño tells the story of a Buddhist monk as he assists an elderly woman in her transition from death to the next life. Make sure to see All Of Us Strangers, the brilliant new feature from British director Andrew Haigh. A devastating supernatural drama, it follows a screenwriter as he enters a blossoming relationship with his mysterious neighbour while struggling to heal from a childhood tragedy. Last but not least, there’s Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule’s rousing remake of The Color Purple, drawing on both Alice Walker’s groundbreaking 1982 novel about a woman’s hard-won journey to independence, and its Broadway musical adaptation.

January’s must-see documentaries, meanwhile, include Scala!!!, Jane Giles and Ali Catterall’s homage to London’s legendary Scala cinema and the community of “weirdos and misfits” it spawned. Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer sees director Thomas von Steinaecker paint a gripping portrait of the great German filmmaker via revelatory interviews and rare archival footage. Nicole Newnham’s The Disappearance Of Shere Hite takes a deep dive into the life and work of the late American feminist, whose 1976 book The Hite Report liberated the female orgasm, heralding fame and notoriety in equal measure for its author.

Food & Drink

Whether you’re looking to re-energise through food or ring in the new year with wonderful new wines, January’s culinary highlights boast something for everyone. First up, there’s a new collaboration between Soho’s favourite fresh pasta joint Pastaio and acclaimed vegan cook Meera Sodha, who has whipped up a special plate for Veganuary. Combining umami-rich kimchi and tomato with spicy gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) and black sesame breadcrumbs, Sodha’s kimchi, tomato and sesame spaghetti is set to get your taste buds tingling, while 50p from every sale will be donated to The Trussell Trust.

Another excellent one-off event for a very good cause, the latest supper club from high-dining curatorial duo Mam Sham promises a creative combination of food and comedy at HERE at Outernet on January 18, with all proceeds going to UK charity Choose Love. Stand-up sets from Ed Gamble, Rose Matafeo and Crybabies will be followed by dishes from FKA Black Axe Mangal, Ling Ling’s x Mambow and Supa Ya Ramen, imaginatively translating the performances into artful nourishment.

For those looking to reset after festive feasting, head down to Mayfair’s Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Benares, where a new set menu has just launched centred around “the Ayurvedic principles of balancing the different types of energy within the body, through spices, ingredients and textures in our food”. Winter spiced herb Rasam and a chestnut and celeriac samosa tartlet will be followed by kale kofta with winter squash Nihari and Kuttu Puri, with goat’s milk Rasmalai and beetroot for dessert. The dishes are served alongside a revitalising turmeric tea, all for £49. 

Fitzrovia restaurant Norma has partnered with award-winning chef Max La Manna for a special plant-based, low-waste menu, on offer throughout January. Inspired by the Sicilian flavours for which Norma is known, the five-course offering boasts plates such as roasted carrot raviolo with beetroot cream, pangrattato and crispy capers, and courgette involtini with almond ricotta, winter tomato and basil-dusted parmesan crisps.

Meanwhile, acclaimed north Yorkshire pub The Abbey Inn in Byland has just launched an innovative menu for “Regenuary”, celebrating the produce from its dedicated farm, all of which were cultivated using regenerative processes. Expect to sample an Oldstead charcuterie board featuring lomo, coppa, salamis and crab apple Bourbon-glazed chipolatas; Oldstead Dexter beef tartare with fermented peppers, wild horseradish and smoked bone marrow; and beetroot-glazed hogget shank with roasted cauliflower and brassicas. 

Wine connoisseurs, make your way to Manteca stat. The Shoreditch establishment, dedicated to nose-to-tail cooking and hand-rolled pasta, has just launched its own delicious Sicilian white wine, as well as a carefully crafted amaro – the icing on the cake of what the Evening Standard’s Hannah Crosbie recently deemed “one of the best-value wine lists in London”. Here’s to a happy 2024!