London Exhibitions 25.02.11

Sometimes nothing makes me happier than a long list of things to go to - you should try it!

London Open Garden Squares Weekend 11-12 June £7.50 in advance or £10 at the weekend
See one of the many locked private or secret gardens open to the public on this annual weekend


Gross und klein (Big and small) at the Barbican booking from 6 June then playing 13-29 April 2012 £16 - 65
A well advanced booking for this 'delicately surreal' play charting a journey across contemporary Germany from the Sydney theatre company and starring Cate Blanchett.

Linder at Stuart Shave Modern art Private view Thursday 26 May then until 24 June Free
Iconic collage artist famous for work during the punk years of the late 70s, as well as recent work with designer Richard Nicoll


The Flaw - screening and talk London School of Economics Wolfson theatre Monday 6 June 6.30-8.30pm Free - check website for booking details
Sundance award winning documentarist searches for the reasons behind the crashing and burning of the worlds strongest economy, and why it's taking so long to recover.


Tracey Emin at the Hayward Gallery until 29 August £12 or free with Hayward membership
Finally a chance to see all of Tracey Emin's work in one place - I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of it in the flesh for the first time


The Shape of Things To Come: New Sculpture at the Saatchi Gallery 27 May - 16 October Free
Interesting-looking sculpture group show at the Saatchi down off Sloane Square


Mark Leckey See, We Assemble at the Serpentine Gallery until 26 June Free
Sculpture, sound, installation and performance work from the 2008 Turner Prize winner - there's performances as well - scroll down the page to book

Pablo Bronstein: Sketches for Regency Living at the ICA 9 June - 25 September Free
For the first time an artist creates work across the whole ICA space including 'major architectural interventions' and performance pieces

Ai Wei Wei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads at Somerset House until 26 June Free
Monumental bronze sculptures in the Somerset House courtyard from imprisoned Ai Wei Wei. A talk on arts, activism and the avant garde will be taking place at 19.30 on Monday the 6th June (£10) featuring the Ai Wei Wei's London gallery director and Bob and Roberta Smith

More Ai Wei Wei at the Lisson Gallery off Edgware Rd until July 16 (Free)


Practise to Deceive - Smoke and Mirrors in Fashion, Fine Art and Film at Showstudio Bruton Pl until 16 July Free
Great title for this group show from the ever wonderful showstudio featuring work from Ruth Hogben, Steven Klein, Dan Graham, Nick Knight and more


ISAM : Control Over Nature at the Crypt Gallery St Pancras 26 May - 5 June Free
Sound design coupled with sculpture made of organic material


Following on from this at the same place which sounds great is Totem Body: The Birthing of a New Concsiousness with a private view on 10 June

Taryn Simon at the Tate Modern 25 May - 6 November Free
New work from artist who brings together photographs and text in a brilliant way


Also at Tate Modern Miro until 11 September £15.50 or free with Tate membership card

Ron Arad's Curtain Call at the Roundhouse Chalk Farm London 9 August - 29 August prices vary
A great list of collaborators including Hussein Chalayan, Paul Cocksedge, David Shrigley and more only add to the intriguing technological aspect of this installation

Hussein Chalayan: I Am Sad Leyla

Last night we visited the Lisson Gallery for the opening of Hussein Chalayan's I Am Sad Leyla. A multilayered work comprising film, music, fashion and sculpture, 'Leyla' has at its heart a popular Turkish song Uzgunum Leyla, or I Am Sad Leyla (maybe better translated as I Am Sorry, Leyla), originally composed in 1940 and forming part of a classical Arabic story of star crossed lovers - this song describes Leyla's lover Mejnun's despair at being finally separated from her. You rarely hear music in this kind of space, and certainly never music this beautiful, so if nothing else we were grateful to Mr Chalayan for letting us experience this. The film of Sertab Erener (Turkey's biggest selling female singer) performing the song in Chalayan in front of an orchestra certainly had a designer's eye for presentation and understated yet sumptuous colour. And in a characteristically futuristic touch a pure white 3D scanned life size sculpture of the singer had her face projected onto it, 'performing' the song in sync with the film below, and also in sync with an empty room next door where you could experience the music free from any other associations.


The artist himself was on hand in his best dinner suit to pass out little wrapped sugared almond favours at the door, in a lovely final touch - they made a lovely dessert after visiting a Persian cafe on nearby Edgware Rd for an appropriate post show meal. On until 2 October at the Lisson.