There are lots of excellent exhibitions to catch at the beginning of 2025. Take a look at the ones we're most excited for, opening in January. Look even further ahead with our guide to must-see exhibitions coming to the capital throughout 2025.
Lengthy landscape: Jake Grewal at Studio Voltaire
Drawing from a long history of landscape painting and his travels ranging from India to Cornwall, Jake Grewal offers his contemporary take on the genre. It includes an ambitious curved painting, almost six metres long, alongside his smaller-scale paintings and drawings which focus on capturing the light in different landscapes.
Jake Grewal: Under the same sky at Studio Voltaire. 15 January - 13 April, free.
Emerging artists: New Contemporaries at ICA
Hitting its 75th year, this exhibition is a great showcase of some of the most exciting emerging artists producing art in the UK right now. The works cover themes including the cycles of the natural world, sustainability and decay; boundaries, borders and fragmented memories; and the commodification of mindfulness, self-care, pop culture and consumerism.
New Contemporaries at ICA London. 15 January - 23 March, free.
Myths and fake news: Daniel Hosego at James Freeman Gallery
What happens when you combine the myths of art history with the disinformation of the world today? Daniel Hosego does so, showing the Garden of Earthly Delights vomited out of Donald Trump's mouth, the Tree of Life bearing apps as fruit, and Hercules leaning against a recycling bin. There are phenomenal details in Hosego's works and it's always a joy to spend time examining them.
Daniel Hosego: The Poison Drinkers at James Freeman Gallery. 16 January - 8 February, free.
Down in the dirt: Soil at Somerset House
Somerset House celebrates its 25th year as a cultural hub by asking us to cast our gaze down at the humble soil we walk on, yet rarely consider. Issues such as climate change, waste, land, justice, beauty and wonder are explored through soil by artists, filmmakers and scientists. SOIL has dazzling microscopic photography, an immersive installation featuring sounds made by organisms found in the soil, and a digital projection exploring the world of fungi and mycelium networks.
SOIL: The World at Our Feet at Somerset House. 23 January - 13 April 2025, £18.50.
Working class art: Lives Less Ordinary at Two Temple Place
Two Temple Place takes a deep dive into working-class representation in British art through more than 150 works by working-class artists, spanning painting, photography, film, sculpture and ceramics. There's been a long-standing issue of art being seen as mainly the domain of the upper-middle class, and this exhibition sets out to challenge these misrepresentations, unpack complex identities, and celebrate under-recognised artists. Also, any chance to see the building's stunning interior should never be passed up.
Lives Less Ordinary: Working-Class Britain Re-seen at Two Temple Place. 25 January - 20 April, free.
South American art: Brasil! Brasil! at Royal Academy of Arts
Brazilian artists in the early 20th century — such as Anita Malfatti, Tarsila do Amaral, Alfredo Volpi and Djanira da Motta e Silva — combined Western and native influences to create their own unique style. Some were even self-taught. This exhibition of 130 works by 10 notable artists, from the 1910s to the 1970s, promises a showcase of works which have mostly never been seen in the UK before.
Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism at Royal Academy of Arts. 28 January - 21 April, £23.50.
Family history: Jonathan Baldock at London Mithraeum
The Bloomberg Space above the London Mithraeum has a great track record of immersive contemporary art exhibitions that chime with the theme of the Roman ruins underground. It's Jonathan Baldock's turn, with a monumental Mother Goddess sculpture, inspired by the Roman artefacts on site and taking its form from an early clay sculpture made by Baldock for his mother. It's complemented by a forest of hop poles to reflect Baldock’s family history as hop gatherers.
0.1 % by Jonathan Baldock at London Mithraeum Bloomberg Space. 30 January - July, free.
Best of East: East London Art Prize at Bow Arts
The diverse art and talent of east London is celebrated and promoted at Nunnery Gallery. Twelve artists have been shortlisted, covering themes including migration, African diasporic perspectives, microhistories, mental health, social justice, and the dynamics of public space.
East London Art Prize: Shortlist Exhibition 2025 at The Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts. 31 January – 13 April, free.
Short-run exhibitions and art fairs
There are lots of great smaller-scale exhibitions opening in London in January. BobCat Gallery's selection of affordable art by more than 50 international artists features bright, bold and beautiful art to help banish any January blues. At Putney Exchange Shopping Centre (7-30 January, free).
In more uplifting art, Kate Mayer's abstract art at Gallery 54 in Mayfair (7-11 January, free) is inspired by a soundscape of healing energy, with well-being workshops taking place in the space. Over in Wandsworth Eleni Maragaki's exhibition at WIP space explores the relationship between urban construction and the natural environment through a mix of printmaking, sculpture, and interactive work (10-23 January, free).
The Roberts Institute of Art has taken over one of our favourite exhibition spaces in London, the glittering Fitzrovia Chapel (the location for the recent King's speech on Christmas Day), to display a selection of works on the themes of attention, compassion and curiosity (8 January - 9 February, free).
It wouldn't be the start of a year of art in London without the London Art Fair at the Business Design Centre (22-26 January, ticketed). It's always a great mix of modern British and exciting contemporary art, including the curated Platform section.
If you prefer art after dark, the annual Winter Lights returns to Canary Wharf to provide eye-catching light art throughout the estate. It's always a lot of fun (21 January—1 February, free).
