Stretching across the capital, London Gallery Weekend invites visitors to explore the gallery scene in its full scope, from emerging voices to internationally established names. Over 120 galleries are taking part this year, all are free to visit, alongside a lively programme of talks, performances, and drinks receptions that extend beyond the gallery space. We’ve selected a number of standout exhibitions not to miss.
Alvaro Barrington at Emalin, Helmet Row
London-based multimedia artist Alvaro Barrington presents 92–01 ‘In Livin Color’ at Emalin’s Helmet Row space in East London until 15 August. His work reflects on the cultural aftermath of the crack cocaine epidemic in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. Barrington explores how Black communities responded through music, fashion and visual culture, foregrounding resilience and innovation in the face of systemic challenges. Together, the rooms form a layered, nuanced narrative around community, survival and cultural expression.
Naotaka Hiro at Herald St
At Herald St in Bethnal Green, Naotaka Hiro’s work explores ideas of perception, presence and the limits of self-knowledge. Central to his practice is the idea of the unknown — the parts of the body that remain unseen and therefore uncertain. Hiro suggests that the body can only be fully understood through mirrors, cameras, shadows or traces. This inquiry stems in part from his early move from Japan to the US to pursue filmmaking, where he often positioned himself as both subject and director, filming his own body from a distance. This dual role continues to inform his art. In more recent works, Hiro shifts from documentation to direct physical engagement — casting his body, pressing and dragging it across unstretched canvas or throwing himself against wooden panels to leave visible imprints.
Jemila Isa at Maureen Paley, Studio M
‘Dreams Lost Upon Waking’ marks Jemila Isa’s debut solo exhibition with Maureen Paley, presented in the gallery’s Studio M space at Rochelle School in Shoreditch until 25 July. Working across painting and sculpture, Isa draws on a vivid dream from 2015, in which mirrored landscapes, a vanishing swan and a silent exchange with a distant figure unfold. The dream becomes a poetic framework through which the artist reflects on notions of womanhood and the self. Through dreamlike figures, Isa balances personal mythology with broader questions of faith and belonging.
Eileen Agar at Alison Jacques
This exhibition of works by Eileen Agar at Alison Jacques, on show until 25 July, brings together a selection of paintings and collages spanning three decades of the artist’s career. Born in Buenos Aires and later associated with British Surrealism, Agar developed a distinctive visual language rooted in experimentation, imagination and an enduring fascination with the natural world. Nature remains a constant source of inspiration throughout her practice; her paintings and collages draw on coastal landscapes, shells, stones, plants and other organic forms, reimagined through unexpected combinations of colour, texture and shape.
Elena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia at William Hine
‘Grown: The Altering of Innocence and Experience’, on show until 25 July, is an installation of collages — intricate, layered compositions that draw on references including William Blake and Greek mythology. Monumental collages are shown alongside more intimate paintings, creating a dialogue between differing perspectives. The result is a richly textured visual world in which memory, identity and storytelling remain in constant flux.
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