The Top 5 Museum Exhibitions to see in London in May

Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top 5 museum exhibitions to see in May in London. Check out last week’s top 6 if you’re after more shows to visit.

Alison Watt: From Light at Pitzhanger

Watt’s photorealistic paintings are all about light, and so is John Soane’s architecture. It means her work and Pitzhanger make for the perfect pairing with her paintings throughout the gallery and the historic house. Working with items from Soane’s collection, including a death mask and skulls, Watt has dived into his world and produced pearls of paintings. Until 15th June, ticketed.

(Un)layering the future past of South Asia: Young artists’ voices at SOAS gallery

This is an excellent collection of young South Asian artists, an area rife with political instability. Some of my highlights include an Afghan rug made from matchsticks, including some that have been lit to symbolise the fires of war, a mosquito net where the creatures on the outside become weapons with a safe space inside, and a tapestry on the campaign for women’s rights. Until 21st June, free. 

The World of Tim Burton at the Design Museum

Everyone is likely to have their favourite Tim Burton film. I grew up with Batman and Edward Scissorhands. Here, we get to see the artistry behind the films, whether his drawings on napkins, the costumes from Wednesday, or lots of other props from his films. It’s a cinephile’s Gothic delight. Until 26th May, ticketed.

Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Before the Internet at Tate Modern

This exhibition explores how artists used technology from the 1960s to the 1990s, always looking at the latest tech to bring innovation to their art. It’s great to see a mix of lo-fi tech, including mirrors, prisms and simple motors, through to an immersive stripy room filled with balloons by Carlos Cruz-Diez. Every time technology has evolved, artists have used it to create important artworks, and you can see many of them here. Until 1 June.

Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize at The Photographers’ Gallery.

This year’s shortlist is a strong quarter that looks at migration, black traditions in the US, the legacy of colonialism and experiments in photography.  My favourite is by Cristina de Middel, who has taken the dangerous journey across Mexico to the USA and recast the process as a hero’s journey rather than one of despair. I loved her Afronauts series, for which she was nominated for this prize previously, and this feels like her year to win. Until 15th June, ticketed.

All images are copyrighted and courtesy of the respective gallery and artist. SOAS Gallery photo: Work by Hadi Rahnaward. Photo credit: Aurélien Mole. Electric Dreams Photo: © Tate (Lucy Green). Deutsche prize image copyright Cristina de Middel.

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Tabish Khan

Art Critic for both FAD and Londonist. See as many exhibitions as possible and write reviews, opinion pieces and a weekly top 5 for FAD.