Get your cultural calendars ready for our round up of exhibitions, festivals and film screenings coming up in London and beyond:
Last Chance to See...
Secret Cinema, London: Bladerunner screened in a Cyberpunk bazaar? Cold War intrigue set in the streets and surroundings of the Barbican? Yes please. Critics have fallen for Secret Cinema’s immersive screenings of top-secret films in top-secret locations. The idea is for the viewers to lose themselves in the hyper imagined world of the film. It is pointless trying to predict what you will experience, just go along with an open mind and get sucked into strange and wonderful new worlds. Hurry though, you only have until 22nd January and tickets are selling out fast.
Next Big Thing...
David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture, Royal Academy of Arts: You know the guy – the Yorkshireman who captured the essence of 1960s and 70s sunny California in paintings of swimming pools and beautiful people lounging in beautiful living rooms. Hockney’s landscape paintings have always been in the shadow of his post Pop Art masterpieces. That is until now, as the Royal Academy prepares to open the first major UK exhibition of the artist’s landscape work. Highlights include recent depictions of the Yorkshire landscapes that Hockney grew up with and the Grand Canyon paintings from the late 1990s. The exhibition opens 21 January. Tickets can be booked online and advanced booking is highly recommended.
Nearly Time For...
Yayoi Kusama Retrospective, Tate Modern: This major retrospective will span the six decades of Yayoi Kusama’s career, from her early paintings of provincial Japan to her renowned large scale installations. The exhibition will take the form of a series of environments, created to immerse the viewer into an almost hallucinatory world. Kusama’s signature dots and nets will be in abundance, along with breath taking sculptural works, mirrored room installations and the iconic 1967 film Kusama’s Self Obliteration. The exhibition runs 9 February-5 June 2012.
Looking Forward To...
Flatpack Festival, Birmingham: Prepare for six days of unbridled cinematic creativity when Flatpack returns to Birmingham on March 13-18. The full programme will be announced in February. For now, look forward to a dazzling adventure along the wild frontier of film amongst some of the city's best-hidden treasures and venues.
Christian Louboutin, Design Museum: This is the first UK retrospective of the world famous French shoe designer. Louboutin’s red sole will be celebrated in all its glossy glory. There will be an emphasis on the designer’s personality and approach – delving into his personal design archive to uncover the man behind the world’s most desirable shoes. The exhibition runs 28 March – 1 July 2012.
Jen Evans is a journalist specialising in culture. She likes lots of other stuff too. You can find more of her eclectic ramblings on her blog, Bookish Brunette or on twitter where she is known as @bookishbrunette.
Image: Yayoi Kusama Kusama posing in Aggregation: One Thousand Boats Show 1963 installation view, Gertrude Stein Gallery, New York 1963 © Yayoi Kusama and © Yayoi Kusama Studios Inc