Here’s a guide to some of the new exhibitions London visitors will get a chance to see when they open in January.
Soil: the World at Our Feet, Somerset House: this new exhibition running at the London venue looks to explore the wonder that can be found with soil, highlighting its bond to all life and the important part it plays in shaping the planet’s future. On display from the 23rd January until the 13th April, it will combine sensory artworks, historical objects, scientific artefacts and documentary evidence to highlight the powr and fragility of soil.
Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley, Alison Jacques Gallery: on display from the 24th January, this group exhibition takes its title from the opening line of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and is set to examine memory, transformation, and the dynamic interplay between past and present, heaven and hell – all subjects that lie at the heart of this gothic fairy tale. It will feature the work of over 30 artists across generations, disciplines, and geographies.
Gregg Bordowitz: There: A feeling, Camden Art Centre: in this first institutional solo exhibition in the UK to celebrate the work of the American artist, writer and activist, the display will feature a wide variety of his work. It will be centred on his commitment to writing as an activity of thought, manifesting across various forms and modalities. On display from the 17th January until the 23rd March, the exhibition is the second chapter of a partner exhibition, Dort: ein Gefühl, on view at the Bonner Kunstverein, Germany until the 2nd February 2025.
Citra Sasmita: Into Eternal Land, Barbican: the Barbican’s latest exhibition will see its Curve space being transformed by the Indonesian artist by using painting, installation, embroidery and scent to offer a journey that explores ancestral memory, ritual and migration. As a self taught artist, Sasmita’s practise often engages with the Indonesian Kamasan painting technique. It is on display from the 30th January until the 21st April.
Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism, Royal Academy of Arts: 2025 at the Royal Academy of Arts kicks off with a major display featuring over 130 works by ten important Brazilian artists from the twentieth century to highlight the diversity of Brazilian art at this time. Offering an expanded view of Brazilian Modernism, the artists whose work will be featured include: Anita Malfatti, Tarsila do Amaral and Alfredo Volpi. It will be on display from the 30th January until the 21st April.
Tarot: Origins & Afterlives, The Warburg Institute: from the 31st January to the 30th April, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the mysterious world of tarot. It will delve deep into its history to discover where they came from and what really is at stake in the different forms they have taken. The display will present a sequence of critical moments from Tarot’s long history, exploring the cards’ iconographic origins and the profound transformations they have undergone in the hands of artists, mystics and writers.