The best exhibitions and events to put in your diary this September!

It’s September, it’s getting darker and our jumpers are starting to resurface as wardrobe staples. To keep spirits high as summer comes to an end, the team here at It’s Nice That have curated our pick of the best exhibitions and events to visit this month.

From a retrospective on Kusama’s legacy at the ICA, Boston, to Tim Walker’s V&A solo show and the arrival of Studio Ghibli’s much-anticipated interactive world tour in Hong Kong. Whether you’re in Europe, America or beyond we’ve got you covered!

Art of Ping Pong x Collage Club
Exhibition and charity auction at The Hoxton, London
13 September – 13 October 2019

The Art of Ping Pong has teamed up with Collage Club for a special exhibition (and auction!) at The Hoxton’s new site in Southwark. The Art of Ping Pong regularly brings together some of It’s Nice That’s favourite illustrators to host their artworks on ping pong paddles and this edition sees it team up with Collage Club for a cut and paste edition.

Featuring Ed Cheverton, Esther Cox, DR.ME, Jimmy Turrell and more, all money raised from the auction sales on the opening evening will be donated to local charities in Southwark as part of The Hoxton’s charity initiative, Good Neighbours.

Tim Walker: Wonderful Things
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
21 September – 8 March 2020

Internationally-renowned British photographer Tim Walker will this September hold a solo show at the V&A. With the aim to give a glimpse inside his creative process, the exhibition will feature pictures, films, photographic sets, and special installations – including ten new series of photographs influenced by the V&A’s collections.

Sampler #3. Anti-books
MACBA, Barcelona
25 September – 7 February 2020

In the third instalment of their print-focussed exhibition series, MACBA puts a spotlight on artists’ books from the 1960s and 1970s. Focussing on those influenced by conceptual and minimalist movements, Sampler #3. Anti-books brings together the work of over 15 artists with Sol LeWitt, Dieter Roth and Hanne Darboven taking centre stage.

Stamps of a Revolution
Paper Mache Tiger, London
5 September – 1 December 2019

Artist Ali Mobasser started collecting stamps as a child as a way of connecting with his Iranian heritage after his family fled to the UK and US following the 1979 revolution.  His photography series Stamps of a Revolution, is a stunning snippet of the country’s graphic design history told through his collection, and was made into a book last year. This autumn, Paper Mache Tiger hosts an exhibition of Ali’s work, which will explore the complexity of diasporic identity and life in exile.

Studio Ghibli
Portal 6311, Hong Kong
29 August – 3 November 2019

Japanese powerhouse Studio Ghibli is back in Hong Kong as part of The World of Studio Ghibli’s Animation interactive world tour. Delighting viewers with classic scenes from eight fan favourites including My Neighbour Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. There are 3D installations, hand-painted walls, floors and more in this immersive Ghibli experience.

The Underlying
Arebyte Gallery, London
19 September – 16 November 2020

Ami Clarke’s work harnesses emerging media to investigate power relations around technologies associated with social media, finance, and the environment. The Underlying presents a new body of work from the London-based artist, including Derivative (a virtual reality experience), Lag Lag Lag (a video interface with live sentiment analysis), and The Prosthetics (prosthetic optics constructed blown glass).  

Alex Prager: Play the Wind
Lehmann Maupin, New York
5 September – 26 October 2019

Renowned photographer Alex Prager is exhibiting her new film Play the Wind early next month. Established for her genre-defying and often breathtakingly detailed photographs, the artist combines eras, cultural references and personal experiences in this new work. Exploring the city of Los Angeles, in her latest film, Prager takes us on a surreal journey of passing moments starring Dimitri Chamblas and Riley Keough.

Beyond Infinity: Contemporary Art after Kusama
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
24 September – 7 February 2021

An accompaniment to the gallery’s showcase of Yayoi Kusama’s Love Is Calling, Beyond Infinity: Contemporary Art after Kusama takes a look at the artist’s legacy in three key areas – repetition, the self, and the kaleidoscopic. Pairing her radiant work with pieces by contemporaries such as Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, and Ana Mendieta, as well as current practitioners such as Nick Cave, Tara Donovan and Josiah McElheny, the exhibition reflects on and celebrates the momentous impact of this contemporary art icon.

Brassaï
Foam, Amsterdam
13 September – 4 December 2019

A key figure in 20th Century photography, the announcement of the first retrospective in the Netherlands of Brassaï’s work is an exciting one. A French photographer of Hungarian descent, Brassaï created countless iconic images of 1930s Parisian life. He was famous for capturing the grittier aspects of the city, but also documented high society, including the ballet, opera, and intellectuals – among them his friends and contemporaries like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Henri Matisse.

AES + F: Allegoria Sacra
Yeltsin Center, Ekaterinburg
12 September – 27 October 2019

This September, Russian art collective AES+F presents its solo exhibition Allegoria Sacra, a special project of the fifth Ural Biennale which showcases its work of the same name. Combining ancient mythology with video games, Hollywood films and fashion magazines, Allegoria Sacra’s sprawling allegorical world reflects on our relationship with death and eternal life. Bringing together, for the first time, all of the 11 digital collages that are part of this project, the exhibition also includes an incredible 72-metre projection in the atrium of the museum.