What’s On at the Tate?

Walter Sickert

Tate Britain

One of the most prolific British painters of the 20^th century, Walter Sickert is celebrated in art history for his theatrical compositions and subject matter. Visitors to Tate Britain’s new exhibition will be able to see Sickert’s narrative compositions, inspired by current events and the rise of celebrity culture, in all their vivid complexities throughout the summer.

When? 28 April – 18 September 2022

Image: Walter Sickert ‘The Eldorado’ c.1906 © The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

Radical Landscapes

Tate Liverpool

In its upcoming exhibition, Tate Liverpool present ‘presents rural spaces as sites of artistic inspiration and action, and a heartland for ideas of freedom, mysticism and rebellion’. Utilising paintings, sculptures and immersive installations, Radical Landscapes goes beyond the classical landscape to highlight untold histories and investigate the themes of trespass, land use and the climate emergency. Over 150 artworks will be on show, including Tacita Dean’s Majesty (2006), Oceans Apart (1989) by Ingrid Pollard and Anwar Jalal Shemza’s Apple Tree (1962).

When? 5 May – 4 September 2022

Image: Jeremy Deller, Cerne Abbas 2019 © Courtesy the artist / The Modern Institute, Glasgow. Image courtesy of Jack Hems.

Cornelia Parker

Tate Britain

One of Britain’s best-loved contemporary artists is taking centre-stage in an exhibition dedicated to her large-scale suspended installations. Cornelia Parker is noted for ‘using transformation, playfulness and storytelling, she engages with important issues of our time, be it violence, ecology or human rights’ – and visitors will have every opportunity to see Parker’s energy in action as the exhibition spills out into the permanent collection to form a much larger historical dialogue.

When? 18 May – 16 October 2022

Image: Cornelia Parker ‘War Room’, 2015. Image © the Whitworth, The University of Manchester. Photography by Michael Pollard

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

Tate Modern

There’s still time to book a visit to Tate Modern’s wildly popular exhibitions of Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms. While currently booked solid until March 2022, you can squeeze in a visit to this immersive experience throughout spring and summer. The exhibition will feature two spectacular installations: Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled With The Brilliance of Life and Chandelier of Grief. 

When? Booking until 30 September 2022

Image: Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled With The Brilliance of Life, Yayoi Kusama.

A Year in Art: Australia 1992

Tate Modern

1992 was an important year for Australia: in June, a High Court ruling overturned terra nullius – meaning ‘land belonging to no one’ – which had been used to justify Britain’s colonising of the land. Using this as a starting point, A Year in Art: Australia 1992 explores how artists acknowledged the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with their lands, as well as the impacts of colonisation and lack of representation in society for these groups.

When? 8 June 2021 – Autumn 2022

Image: Bonita Ely ‘Jabiluka UO₂’, 1979. Single-channel digital video transferred from analogue video, colour, sound. Camera: Andrew Scollo. Performers: Bonita Ely with Charles Green & William Winford

Surrealism Beyond Borders

Tate Modern

One of the most complex art movements in history is getting its own landmark exhibition this year, as part of a collaborating between Tate Modern and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Surrealism Beyond Borders aims to rewrite conventional histories, focusing on Surrealism’s ability to subvert reality and ‘find the uncanny in the everyday’. Spanning across 50 years, visitors can see how artists have embraced the movement all over the world – from Buenos Aires and Lisbon to Seoul and Tokyo.

When? Until 29 August 2022

Image: Salvador Dalí ‘Lobster Telephone’, 1938. Tate Purchased 1981 © Salvador Dali, Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation/DACS, London 2022

Lubaina Himid

Tate Modern

Artworks from Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid will be presented in a retrospective exhibition later this year, where the artist will also unveil new pieces from her portfolio. Theatre, which has been a key source of inspiration throughout Himid’s career, will be central to the layout of the exhibition – which Tate describes as ‘a sequence of scenes designed to place visitors centre-stage and backstage’.

When? Until 2 October 2022

Image: Lubaina Himid ‘The Operating Table’, 2017-8. Private Collection
© Lubaina Himid

The EY Exhibition: Cezanne

Tate Modern

When we say ‘Paul Cezanne’, still lifes, landscape and paintings of bathers often come to mind. Cezanne’s widely recognised portfolio has earned him recognition as a pivotal figure in modern art, and The EY Exhibition: Cezanne plots this rise to fame through a selection of paintings (many of which are being shown in the UK for the first time) spanning the artist’s career. As Tate notes: ‘the show will follow his struggle between seeking official recognition and joining the emerging impressionists before relentlessly pursuing his own unique language’.

When? 5 October 2022 – 13 March 2023

Image: Paul Cezanne ‘The Basket of Apples’, c.1893. The Art Institute of Chicago, Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

Turner Prize 2022

Tate Liverpool

The Turner Prize returns to Tate Liverpool this year with a showcase of brilliant artists and artworks. Known as one of the most prestigious awards in the visual arts, the Turner Prize was established in 1984 and celebrates the work of British artists who create outstanding presentations that enable debate and development.

When? 20 October 2022 – 19 March 2023

Image: Jorge Percival, Unsplash

Magdalena Abakanowicz

Tate Modern

When? 17 November 2022 – 21 May 2023

Image: 

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with the Night

Tate Britain

Renowned for her paintings depicting fictitious people – crafted from found images and the artist’s imagination – British artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be taking to Tate Britain this November to present an extensive survey of her work from 2003 up to now. Expect colourful portraits, lively figures and invitations to interpret the lives of the fanciful characters depicted.

When? 24 November 2022 – 26 February 2023

Image: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye,
‘Complication’, 2013. Pinault Collection © Courtesy of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Photo: Marcus Leith