From the Editor

* The Barbican arts centre will close for a year from June 2028 to carry out a £151 million refurbishment.

Daniel Nelson london.globalevents@gmail.com

TALKS AND MEETINGS

No talks at the moment: good time to catch up on exhibitions, but remember to check for Christmas and New Year opening times.

Monday 12 January

* Defence, Power & Public Interest, panel discussion on how defence priorities are set, the human impact of modern conflict, and the balance between hard power, diplomacy, soft power and peacekeeping, 6.15pm, 6.15 – 7.30pm, £16.80, The Conduit, 6 Langley Street WC2H 9JA. Info: The Conduit 

* Climate change: Evidence of health impact and developing a climate-resilient future, Bianca Anton, Hannah Marshall, Pierre Masselot, Hugh Sharma Waddington, 5.30 - 6.30pm, LSHTM, Keppel Street WC1E 7HT. Info: LSHTM

EXHIBITIONS

* Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus, how post Second World War “Emergencies” , as they were termed by the UK, shaped Britain, its former territories and the modern world, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ until 29 March. Info: IWM

+ Exit wounds of Empire

* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day Nepal and Singapore, the exhibition combines art, science, history, technology and indigenous knowledge to deepen understanding of our relationships with freshwater, free, Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE until 1 February 2026. Info: Wellcome

+ Thirst: an exhibition bridge over troubled water

* Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire & Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art, The Singh Twins examine the global mythologies of plants and the histories of Empire + Flora Indica – work by historical Indian botanical artists, admission with Kew entry fee, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens until 12 April

+ The Singh Twins light up the links between empire and botany

+ The Singh Twins spotlight Kew’s role in the business of Empire

* Mumbai + London: new perspectives on the ancient world, small show focussed on Greek god Dionysius and India’s Vishnu, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 11 January 2026. Info: Exhibition

* Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times In An Instant), Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ cuboid on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is a memorial to trans people worldwide

* Collecting and Empire, trail making connections between archaeology, anthropology and the British Empire, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1. Info: British Museum

* British Library, installation of 6,328 books marks the contributions of migrants to UK, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Info: Installation/ 7887 8888

* African Deeds, showcases a collection that includes diaries, cassette interviews, videos, photos and documents of three generations of family history, inspired by grandfather Thomas’ land title deeds brought from West Africa in 1901, Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Info: BCA 

* Target Queen, large-scale commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre

* Imaging Peace, outdoor exhibition of global community peace photography projects, part of ‘Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging’, a free programme of arts and ideas at King’s College, Strand, WC2R 2LS. Info: Exhibition

* Kerry James Marshall: The Histories, “the most important artist” in the US, who places the lives of Black Americans front and centre, £23.50-£25.50, Royal Academy, Piccadilly, until 18 January. Info: RA

+ ‘If you say Black, you should see Black’

+ ‘My paintings don’t fit the narrative’: Kerry James Marshall on why he’s depicting black enslavers

*  The Presence of Solitude, through film, photography and costume, Taiwanese artist Val Lee explores isolation, solitude and the human connections that may form in these moments, free, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road until 11 January. Info: Hayward

* Nigerian Modernism,  Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from British colonial rule in 1960, Tate Modern, Bankside SE1 9TG until 10 May. Info: Tate

* I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies, examination of political dissent and erasure through the idea of collage, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Sunil Gupta, Qualeasha Wood, Jess Atieno,  Sheida Soleimani, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA until 21 March. Info: Exhibition  

* Parliament of Ghosts, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama repurposes colonial-era furniture and jute sacks alongside newly crafted elements, Ibraaz, 14 Mortimer Street, W1W 7SS, until 15 February. Info: Ibraaz

+ Secret Maps, the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps, £20, British Library, 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB until 18 January. Info: Library

*  A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, artists who have shaped the trajectory of Indian Modernism, £17, Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J until 24 February. Info: RA

* The Land Carries, work by three international artists: Ahmed Akasha (UK), Dina Nur Satti (US) and Yasmin Elnour (Bahrain) responding to material in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, 1 - 5pm, Petrie Museum, University College London, Malet Place, WC1E 6BT until 16 May. Info: Sudan exhibition

* Sites of Life, explores how Arab artists imagine and enact life beyond the human, £5,  P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD until 9 January. Info: Exhibition 

* Between the Door and the Dust, Gil Mualem-Doron’s examination of the deliberate destruction of homes and the worlds they sustain, from the 1948 Nakba to the West Bank occupation and the genocide in Gaza, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD until 9 January. Info: P21

ARTS OPPORTUNITIES

* The £15,000 Footnote x Counterpoints Prize is open for fiction writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Deadline 13 February. The prize also includes a publishing deal.

* The Climate Migration Collaborative is looking for contributors to its
Climate Migration Storytelling initiative.

* The Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme invites applications for six grants of up to £6.000 to fund the first payments for bold, original new play commissions across the UK. Applications must be in by 23 January.

* The Young Playwrights Award is open to any teenager in the UK, interested in writing a play. If you know a creative young person with a passion for drama, or secondary school teachers looking to inspire young writers, get the details here.

* Comedian Munya Chawawa has launched Black Boys Theatre Club “to give young men access to a world of theatre”.

* Women writers, directors, performers, musicians and visual artists are invited to submit projects for the Playground Theatre’s planned Women’s Voices: A Celebration

* For emerging and mid-career Palestinian artists based anywhere in the world: a fully-funded, 11 week residency at Gasworks in London from 7 July to 21 September 2026. Application deadline: 12 January.

* The BFI is to invest £150m over the next three years under six headings: audiences, education & heritage, filmmaking & talent development, skills & workforce development, international, and insight & industry.

* The Royal Court Theatre’s first nationwide, open-access Young Playwrights Award invites every teenager in the country to try writing a play.

* New Diorama Theatre is distributing grants of £500 to migrant theatre makers to ease the burden of visa, legal, and other bureaucratic costs affecting migrants navigating UK immigration.  

* Good Chance, formed in the Calais Jungle refugee camp, is launching Stage Door 10 - a national programme placing 10 creatives from refugee backgrounds in paid roles across 10 UK theatres and arts organisations.

* Theatro Technis and Hyphen Artist Collective’s offer free in-person & online writing sessions + community chats for hyphenated & global majority creatives.

* Artist Surgeries at the Gate Theatre: on the second Thursday of every month.

* As Yet Unscene, year-round initiative to find and develop scripts in early stages of development. it includes workshops, rehearsed readings and fully-rehearsed performances of longer extracts. Details here

* The Royal Court Theatre’s Writers’ Card aims to help playwrights through mentoring, networking, funding opportunities, events, subsidised meals and free script printing.

* The Royal Court has also launched a London-wide playwrights award for 13-18-year-olds.

* The Cockpit Theatre offers classes, workshops, readings, advice sessions, support & performance opportunities.

* Papatango hopes its new Playwrights’ Studio will be a home for playwrights of all levels of experience. Its advantages include digital workshops, lone-to-one, and thousands of pounds in open-access funding.

* Riverside Studios is offering a regular drop-in playwriting group:  “Whether you’re working on a script and want creative inspiration, you're intrigued by the idea of writing a play, or simply want a creative outlet, these monthly meet-ups are informal, fun and open to everyone.” It has also launched songwriting sessions.