As the chill of winter approaches, London‘s art scene is set to heat up with a range of must-see shows this October. From the art world energy of FRIEZE London to the culture showcase of the 1-54 African Art Fair, October offers an exciting variety of contemporary art experiences. Whether you’re drawn to cutting-edge sculpture or poignant photography, these showcases promise to leave a lasting impression.
From legendary abstract masters to rising stars and untold stories of uprisings, these exhibitions reflect the rich, diverse landscape of London’s artistic expression. Whether you’re a seasoned gallery-goer or a curious newcomer, this month’s offerings are not to be missed.
First on the list of our Five Exhibitions To See In London In October 2024 is Hauser & Wirth’s presentation of the legendary abstract artist, Jack Whitten, with Speedchaser. Located on Savile Row, brings together rare works from Whitten’s influential Greek Alphabet series (1975-78), a body of monochromatic paintings that pushed the boundaries of abstraction. This series was recently highlighted at Dia Beacon, New York, from 2022 to 2023. The London show goes further, showcasing Whitten’s daring experimentation with color alongside his process-driven methods. As a lead-up to the first comprehensive retrospective of his work at MoMA in 2025, this exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the mind of an artist who transformed abstraction into something both mechanical and deeply personal.
Next up on our Exhibitions To See In London, we make a stop at the Hayward Gallery for Haegue Yang: Leap Year, one of the most highly anticipated shows this year. Yang, an internationally celebrated artist known for her innovative and cross-disciplinary approach, is being honored with her first major UK survey. The exhibition is divided into five thematic zones, featuring three new commissions and several new productions. Her work transforms mundane objects like drying racks and light bulbs into mesmerising sculptures that blur the lines between domesticity, industrialism, and folklore.
Through a sensory journey that includes installation, sculpture, collage, video, and sound, Leap Year probes themes of cross-cultural exchange, personal and political history, and the interplay between modernism and folk traditions.
High-regarded young artist Rayvenn D’Clark makes our list with her powerful and thought-provoking exhibition at TM Gallery. Through her practice, D’Clark is known for challenging societal norms and advocating for the recognition of women of color. Her hyperrealist sculptures, created using a blend of live casting and 3D printing, offer a striking commentary on identity and representation. By capturing the human form with breathtaking detail, D’Clark adds a fresh, urgent voice to the contemporary art world. This exhibition is a must-see in our lineup of Five Exhibitions to See in London In October 2024, as it tackles important issues of race, gender, and visibility in today’s society.
At King’s College London, Susan Aldworth’s Belongings takes a socially engaged approach to art. The show challenges anti-asylum narratives by focusing on themes of sanctuary and belonging, presenting a deeply immersive experience that encourages viewers to reflect on their own roles in supporting people seeking refuge. Running from October 2 to November 8, Belongings is part of a wider arts and ideas programme, Lost and Found: Stories of Sanctuary and Belonging, curated by King’s Culture. Aldworth’s exhibition stands out on our list of Exhibitions to See in London for its ability to intertwine art with social action, urging viewers to reconsider what it means to truly belong.
Closing our list, we arrive at NOW Gallery for Human Stories: Unreported Uprisings by documentary photographer Inès Elsa Dalal. The exhibition presents a powerful series of photographic essays documenting UK protests during the widespread strikes of 2023. Dalal’s lens captures the untold stories of disenchanted workers—from firefighters and teachers to junior doctors and public servants—who stood up against systemic injustices.
Offering a raw, unfiltered look at Britain’s socio-political landscape, capturing moments when the country came close to a General Strike. With its compelling visuals and impactful commentary, Unreported Uprisings is a timely reminder of photography’s power to document and provoke societal change.
In summary, Five Exhibitions to See in London in October 2024 offers a blend of visual storytelling, political engagement, and artistic experimentation. These exhibitions highlight not only the diversity of London but also the deep cultural conversations shaping the city today. Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in these groundbreaking shows this month.
Here is our Five Exhibitions to See in London in October 2024
1: Jack Whitten: Speedchaser
Over the course of a six-decade career, Jack Whitten’s work has bridged rhythms of gestural abstraction and process art, arriving at a nuanced language of painting that hovers between mechanical automation and intensely personal expression. Focusing on Whitten’s paintings, works on paper and sculptures from the 1970s, this exhibition showcases a juncture in the artist’s career, which saw him reject the gestural brushstrokes of abstract expressionism in favour of experimental processes and materials. Displaying Whitten’s long-standing interest in craft and woodwork, the exhibition also includes carved and assembled sculptures made by the artist during the 1970s.
The exhibition includes rare works from Whitten’s landmark, monochromatic Greek Alphabet series (1975-78), which was the focus of a dedicated exhibition at Dia Beacon, New York, from 2022 to 2023. This exhibition in London goes beyond the monochrome to also display Whitten’s experimentation with colour during this process-based period. In March 2025, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will open ‘Jack Whitten: The Messenger,’ the first comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the groundbreaking American artist.
Jack Whitten: Speedchaser
7th October, 2024 – 21st December, 2024
Hauser & Wirth London
23 Savile Row
London
W1S 2ET
2: Haegue Yang: Leap Year
The Hayward Gallery will present Haegue Yang: Leap Year, the first major UK survey of the internationally celebrated artist from 9 October 2024 to 5 January 2025.
Considered to be one of the leading artistic voices of her generation, Yang’s work is both spellbinding and boundary-pushing, probing into contemporary ideas of cross-cultural pollination, modernism and folk traditions, and personal and political histories. Leap Year will illuminate Yang’s multifaceted, interdisciplinary and
highly inventive practice from the early 2000s to today, echoing the Hayward Gallery’s mission, as part of the creative engine of the Southbank Centre, to champion artists from across the world whose ideas challenge and spark new ways of thinking.
Arranged into five thematic zones, the exhibition will include three major new commissions and several new productions to present a visual and sensory experience through installation, sculpture, collage, text, video, wallpaper and sound. Yang’s artwork often transforms everyday domestic items and industrial objects, from drying racks and light bulbs to nylon pom-poms and hand-knitted yarn, into distinctive sculptures and multimedia installations that engage the senses. Leap Year will feature
key works from some of her most notable series including Light Sculptures, Sonic Sculptures, The Intermediates, Dress Vehicles, Mesmerizing Mesh and the Venetian blind installation.
Haegue Yang: Leap Year
9th October, 2024 — 5th January, 2025
Hayward Gallery
Southbank Centre
Belvedere Road
London SE1 8XX
3: Rayvenn D’Clark at TM Gallery
Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark’s upbringing in a family of creative minds spurred her passion for the visual arts. Educated at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea School of Art, she delved into various mediums, from painting to photography. Fascinated by hyperrealism, particularly in portraying the human form, D’Clark transformed traditional portraiture into lifelike sculptures.
Her method involves a unique process merging live casting with 3D printing, resulting in intricately detailed sculptures. Inspired by personal connections, the artist works with familiar faces, aiming to capture the essence of kinship. D’Clark’s work challenges societal norms, celebrating diversity and individuality, notably through large-scale public installations. Through her art, she advocates for the recognition of women of colour, promoting intersectional perspectives on identity and representation.
Rayvenn D’Clark at TM Gallery
10th October, 2024 – 22nd November, 2024
TM Gallery
7 Cubitt Street
London
WC1X 0HF
4: Susan Aldworth: Belongings
Belongings, a new, free and immersive exhibition from renowned artist Susan Aldworth and its accompanying programme of events, will open in the Arcade, Bush House, on London’s Strand, from 2 October until 8 November 2024. Challenging anti-asylum narratives, Aldworth’s work aims to create a sense of belonging amongst people seeking sanctuary; while challenging others to consider what action they can take to support them to truly feel and know that they belong. Belongings is presented as part of a new free arts and ideas programme, Lost and Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging, curated by King’s Culture.
Susan Aldworth: Belongings
2nd October, 2024 – 8th November, 2024
King’s College London
The Arcade, Bush House
Strand
London
WC2B 4PJ
5: HUMAN STORIES: UNREPORTED UPRISINGS
In recent years, Human Stories, NOW Gallery’s critically acclaimed annual photography exhibition, has cemented its reputation as one of the most exciting showcases of contemporary photography talent in the world, having exhibited artists like Stephen Tayo, Thandiwe Muriu, Nadine Ijewere, Charlotte Colbert and more. From 11 October – 17 November 2024, Human Stories will return once again to Greenwich Peninsula with a very special solo exhibition by documentary photographer Inès Elsa Dalal.
Entitled Human Stories: Unreported Uprisings, Dalal will present a series of powerful
photographic essays documenting the protests of striking workers in the UK. Documented in the first quarter of 2023 during the strikes of firefighters, train drivers, teachers, junior doctors, nurses, public civil servants and many more disenchanted groups within society, Dalal shares an unpublished contemporary archive and commentary of the prevailing British social landscape, at a time when the country came very close to mobilising a General Strike.
HUMAN STORIES: UNREPORTED UPRISINGS
1st October, 2024 – 17th November, 2024
NOW Gallery
Greenwich Peninsula
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