Spring has most definitely sprung. Londoners are thawing, coming out of hibernation, seizing the city with both hands, milking it for all it has to offer. The April cultural calendar is appropriately packed, with a load of new exhibition openings set to add to all of the excellent ones already showing.
From the brilliant but unsettling Ed Atkins at Tate Britain to multi-disciplinary works interrogating language at the ICA, to a blockbuster photography takeover of Somerset House and experimental bodily sculptures at White Cube Mason’s Yard, London is packed with plentiful opportunities for thought-provoking visual indulgence. These are the best exhibitions to see in London in April.
The best new London art exhibitions in April 2025
Head to the Institute of Contemporary Arts to see the first UK solo exhibition of Croatia-born, Amsterdam-based installation and performance artist Nora Turato. Known for her text ‘pools’, created at yearly intervals using found language gathered from media, conversations, online content and overheard speech, the artist’s UK debut will feature site-specific new work that spans video, performance, graphic design, writing and sound.
Nora Turato: pool7 at ICA, April 9-June 8, 2025. More details here.
This one technically opened at the end of March, but we gave it a well-deserved four stars, so it would be a miss for us all not to include ‘Splash!’ in this round-up. The Design Museum is celebrating all things swimming – from Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch swimsuit, to a rainbow display of budgie smugglers – via the pool, the lido and nature, and features a selection of swimwear from throughout the ages as well as some pretty Wes Anderson-style photography.
‘Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style’ at the Design Museum, March 28-August 17, 2025. More details here.
Antony Gormley, ‘WITNESS: Early Lead Works’ at White Cube Mason’s Yard
Way before he was messing around with steel to create the Angel of the North, Antony Gormley spent a lot of time experimenting with lead, as this new exhibition at White Cube Mason’s Yard goes to show. A display of his early works produced between the mid-1970s and early ’90s, ‘Witness’ reveals how Gormley’s lead sculptures – a symbolic choice of material loaded with bodily, existential themes – were foundational in developing his distinct visual language.
Anthony Gormley, WITNESS: Early Lead Works at White Cube Mason’s Yard, April 23-June 8, 2025. More details here.
Tate Britain is hosting a career-spanning exhibition of Ed Atkins, the contemporary artist who uses video and animations to interrogate human’s relationship with the digital world. What impact has modern technology really had on our sense of selves? Largely through CGI videos and writing, this English artist picks apart the emotions, the struggles, the realities of everyday life. This isn’t easy, simple, approachable art, it’s uncomfortable, awkward, and often totally brilliant.
Ed Atkins at Tate Britain, April 2-August 25, 2025. More details here.
Sony World Photography Awards at Somerset House
Every year, Somerset House hosts the Sony World Photography Awards, a mammoth showcase of more than 300 thought-provoking global images from over 60 photographers. Head here while you can to see a collection of striking images capturing everything from wildlife and nature to documentary storytelling, architecture and portraiture.
Sony World Photography Awards at Somerset House, April 17-May 5, 2025. More details here.
Don’t miss: the 10 best new London theatre openings in April 2025
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