Events
June 2021 / July 2021 / August 2021 / September 2021 / October 2021 / online / ongoing
DON’T MISS
1 June — 1 July 2021
Typographics 2021
Typographics is a design festival for people who use type. The annual event series, now in its seventh year, is focused on contemporary typography and where its future may lie. This year’s events will be hosted entirely online.
The schedule can be found here.
17 June 2021
An informal and informative global online conference where designers share their work and their world, alongside personal stories and thoughts. Speakers include Stefan Sagmeister, Marina Willer (Pentagram), Lisa Enebeis (Studio Dumbar), Nejc Prah, Wade & Leta, Yehwan Song and Yamuna Forzani. Online event, 6pm – 9pm BST.
Tickets here, £18 / €21 / $25
17 June 2021
Reconnect with CONNECTING FROM A—Z and BOOKS ARE BRIDGES
A—Z Gallery, Torstrasse 93, D-10119 Berlin, Germany
ONGOING
to 20 June 2021
Alexey Brodovitch, The First Art Director
An exhibition of the autodidact Russian graphic designer Alexey Brodovitch (1898-1971) that presents his work in magazines, photography, posters and identity during a long career.
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Toni-Areal, Pfingstweidstrasse 96 8005 Zürich, Switzerland
to 27 June 2021
London Design Biennale
The third edition of London Design Biennale brings together over 30 pavilions to showcase leading international design thinking and exchange visions of the ripple effect that ground-breaking design concepts have on the way we live, and the choices we make. Installations and presentations respond to the theme ‘Resonance’.
Tickets from £22.50, available online.
Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA, United Kingdom
to 27 June 2021
Gérard Uféras: A Day in the Museum
An exhibition of more than 100 photographs by French photographer Gérard Uféras.
Arsenal Museum, Kremlin 6, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
to 27 June 2021
W.E.B. Du Bois, Georgia, and his Data Portraits
In 1900, sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois created a series of data visualizations for the “Exhibit of American Negroes” at that year’s Paris Exhibition. The graphs and charts center on the socioeconomic conditions facing Black Americans in the state of Georgia, tracing income, marital status, property ownership, and more for visual representation.
Artspace New Haven, 50 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06510, US
Above: W.E.B. Du Bois, Assessed Valuation of All Taxable Property Owned by Georgia Negros
to 11 July 2021
Modern Look: Photography and the American Magazine
Featuring more than 150 works including photographs, layouts and cover designs, this exhibition considers the connections and influences of designers and photographers such as Richard Avedon, Lillian Bassman, Lester Beall, Margaret Bourke-White, Louis Faurer, Robert Frank, William Klein, Lisette Model, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Cipe Pineles, and Paul Rand.
The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave at 92nd St, New York, NY 10128, US
Above: Paul Rand, Direction, Vol. 3 No. 9, December 1940.
to 31 July 2021
Lawrence Weiner: ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY HAVE THE SAME FACE
For this new artwork commissioned by the Jewish Museum, Weiner drew upon an old Yiddish phrase he often heard when growing up, ‘Ale Yevanim habn eyn punim,’ meaning all Greeks (i.e., all non-Jews) have the same face. Weiner reconceived this text to read ‘ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY HAVE THE SAME FACE’, and translated it simultaneously into English, Hebrew, and Arabic on a field of vibrant blue.
The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave at 92nd St, New York, NY 10128, US
to 1 August 2021
Swiss designer Dafi Kühne is showing a series of ten handmade letterpress-printed posters that serve as a visual diary of the pandemic. They convey his own changing state of mind, reflecting both the collective feeling of insecurity and powerlessness, as well as experiences of a new form of deceleration and lived solidarity.
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Ausstellungsstrasse 60, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland
to 8 August 2021
Lee Miller: Fashion in Wartime Britain
This exhibition will explores the fashion photography of renowned surrealist photographer Lee Miller during the Second World War. It will feature more than 60 of Miller’s images for British Vogue from 1939 to early 1944, many of which have never been seen before.
Farleys House & Gallery, Farley Farm, Muddles Green, Chiddingly, East Sussex BN8 6HW, UK
Open on Sundays and Thursdays from 20 May until 8 August 2021
Above: Lee Miller, Corsetry, Solarised Photographs, Vogue Studio London England, 1942 © Lee Miller Archives.
to 21 August 2021
Ruth Asawa: Citizen of the Universe
Citizen of the Universe takes a unique look at the visionary artist, educator and activist Ruth Asawa (b. 1926, Norwalk, CA – d. 2013, San Francisco, CA). The exhibition features her signature hanging sculptures in looped and tied wire, and celebrates her holistic integration of art, education and community engagement through displaying prints, drawings, letters and photographs.
Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford, OX1 1BP UK
Above: Ruth Asawa, 1957. Photo by Imogen Cunningham. Courtesy David Zwirner.
to 22 August 2021
Bill Brandt | Henry Moore
This major exhibition traces the parallel and intersecting careers of two leading artists of the 20th century. The photographer Bill Brandt (1904-83) and sculptor Henry Moore (1898-86) first crossed paths during the Second World War, when they created images of civilians sheltering in the London Underground during the Blitz.
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norfolk Road, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Above: Bill Brandt, Henry Moore, 1941. © Bill Brandt Archive Ltd.
to 22 August 2021
Colorado in the Present Tense: Narkita Gold, Rick Griffith, Nathan Hall and Maia Ruth
This exhibition focuses on the way artists of the Colorado region are absorbing, responding to, grappling with, and reimagining the upended world in which we find ourselves. The exhibition will present commissioned new work and reframe existing projects from four Colorado-based artists that respond to the current moment of upheaval, uncertainty and complexity.
MCA Denver 1485 Delgany St., Denver, CO 80202
Tel. +1-303-298-7554
to 22 Aug 2021
Jean Dubuffet
Spanning more than four decades in the studio, this exhibition brings together powerful work by the French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985). This show is the first in the UK in more than 50 years, highlighting Dubuffet’s radicalism as he experimented with materials.
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS, UK
Above: Jean Dubuffet, Paysage aux Argus (Landscape with Argus, 1955. Courtesy of Fondation Dubuffet, Paris.
to 22 August 2021
Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere. This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by Calvert in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel.
The Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London W8 6AG, UK
See ‘Britain’s signature’ (by John L. Walters) in Eye 71 and Phil Baines’s extensive article ‘A design to sign roads by’ in Eye 34.
Above: Margaret Calvert, Jealous Gallery & Print Studios, Woman at Work.
to 29 August 2021
Slavery
Slavery brings together ten real-life stories about people in slavery, about slaveholders, about people who freed themselves from slavery, and about people brought to the Netherlands in slavery.
Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
to 29 August 2021
Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy
Throughout her nearly 70-year career, Agar synthesised elements of two of the twentieth century’s most significant artistic tendencies: Cubism and Surrealism. The exhibition explores how these early inspirations rapidly developed into her very personal style that offered a moving commentary on society over a period of tremendous social change.
Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX, UK
Above: Eileen Agar, Erotic Landscape, 1942 © The Estate of Eileen Agar.
to August 2021
The Braun Idea. On the Corporate Identity of the Braun Company 1954 to 1972
Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Dinge, Oranienstraße 25, D-10999 Berlin, Germany
to 30 August 2021
Unearthed: Photography’s Roots
The gallery’s first major photography exhibition traces the rich history of the medium through depictions of nature, with more than 100 works by key figures including William Henry Fox Talbot and Imogen Cunningham as well as several overlooked photographers with rare works by Japanese artist, Kazumasa Ogawa and the English gardener, Charles Jones.
Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD
Above: Richard Learoyd, Large Poppies (detail), 2019 © the Artist.
to 5 September 2021
For his largest solo exhibition, Samson Kambalu’s powerful installation creates the atmosphere of an initiation ceremony for a utopia of international racial justice that equally values each person. This idea of a ‘New Liberia’ marks a mass change in attitudes, sparked by the pandemic and global Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke St, Oxford, OX1 1BP, UK
Above: Samson Kambalu, Elephant Quilt 2, 2021. New Liberia, installation view at Modern Art Oxford 2021. Photo by Mark Blower
to 6 September 2021
Niki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life
This exhibition will feature over 200 works created from the mid-1960s until the artist’s death, including sculptures, prints, drawings, jewelry, films, and archival materials. Highlighting Saint Phalle’s interdisciplinary approach and engagement with key social and political issues, the exhibition will focus on works that she created to transform environments, individuals, and society.
MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens, New York, US
Above: Installation view of ‘Niki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life’. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo: Kyle Knodell.
to 19 September 2021
The first retrospective of the artist Richard Mosse, curated by Urs Stahel. The exhibition explores the boundaries of documentary photography and contemporary art through the motifs of migration, conflict and climate change.
Fondazione MAST, Via Speranza, 42 – Bologna, IT 40133, Italy
to 19 September 2021
Richard Mosse
Richard Mosse focuses on current political and ecological crises such as the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the crisis of European refugee and migration policy and the threat to the tropical rainforests. For his monumental photographs, Mosse uses infrared and UV techniques that were originally developed for military purposes and that make things visible that are actually imperceptible to the human eye.
Kunsthalle Bremen, Am Wall 207, 28195 Bremen, Germany
Above: Richard Mosse, Lost Fun Zone, 2012.
25 June — 26 September 2021
The Picture Library
The Picture Library, organised in collaboration with The Guardian Foundation, delves into the legendary Guardian picture library, to explore photojournalism across the 20th Century and the various ways in which a liberal press employs images to elaborate themes such as feminism, nationalism, post-colonialism, racism, industrial relations, immigration, class and the climate crisis.
Exhibition Admission £5/£2.50 Concessions
The Photographers Gallery, 16 – 18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW
Above: Greenham Common protester. Roger Tooth, 1982. Courtesy, Guardian News & Media Archive.
to 21 September 2021
The Landscape of Love and Solace
This exhibition will contextualise the life and work of John Nash within the history of the 20th century, and in particular via his key relationships, including Christine Kuhlenthal, who later became his wife. Works will also be presented from friends and peers including Edward Bawden, Peter Coker, Charles Ginner, Spencer Gore, Harold Gilman, Cedric Morris, Eric Ravilious, and Carel Weight.
Towner Art Gallery, Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4JJ, UK
Above: John Nash, Oppy Wood, 1918 © Imperial War Museum.
to 26 September 2021
Haegue Yang: Strange Attractors
This exhibition brings together new and existing works spanning installation, sculpture, drawing, collage and painting. Haegue Yang is renowned for creating immersive environments from a diverse range of materials.
Tate St Ives, Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1TG, UK
Above: Haegue Yang ‘Strange Attractors’ at Tate St Ives. Photo © Tate (Matt Greenwood)
to 26 September 2021
David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring
116 new and optimistic iPad works in praise of the natural world.
to 29 September 2021
HfG Ulm: Ausstellungsfieber [ONLINE]
Exhibitions were so in vogue in the 1950s and 60s that experts spoke of an ‘exhibition fever’. Design was the topic of many exhibitions and fairs, and the HfG Ulm played a prominent role. The dynamic atmosphere of these decades becomes tangible for online visitors to ‘HfG Ulm: Exhibition Fever’ through presentations in diverse media, ranging from the impact of the Ulm School of Design and its global reception to the search for an ideal exhibition design.
‘HfG Ulm: Exhibition Fever’ forms the conclusion of a four-year research project ‘The Visibility of the Ulm School of Design: From Ulm to Montréal’, supported by the Volkswagen Foundation and organised by Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, the HfG-Archiv Ulm, and Pforzheim University.
HfG Archiv Ulm, Am Hochsträß 8, 89081 Ulm
to 3 October 2021
Vera List and the posters of Lincoln Center
Poster House’s second mini-exhibition focuses on the contribution made by Vera List to the creation of a poster program advertising the new Lincoln Center complex in 1962. Inspired by artist-designed posters she had seen in Paris, she earmarked $200,000 as seed money for what would become the List Art Poster Program (later known as the Vera List Art Project), featuring some of the most notable names in contemporary art, from Andy Warhol to Roy Lichtenstein, Ben Shahn to Robert Indiana. Each poster advertises a new building or event at the venue, chronicling how a now-famous New York institution was introduced to the public through posters.
Poster House, 119 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011, US
to 3 October 2021
An Uncertain Spring
‘An uncertain spring’ mixes disciplines and generations, is an exhibition which delivers by sensitive touch the intimacy of this uncertain moment which was for some, the time to take up the pen, to reactivate dormant projects, to create objects of relief for the public, everyday objects for the private sphere.
Decorative Arts Museum, 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Above: Alexandre Benjamin Navet, View from the Terrace n°1. Crayon à l’huile et pastel sur papier, 2020. © Grégory Copitet.
to 3 October 2021
M / M (Paris). D’un M/Musée à l’autre
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée d'Orsay join forces in inviting M / M (Paris), the duo of Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak, to present a double exhibition.
Decorative Arts Museum, 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
to 24 October 2021
We’re Out Here
We’re Out Here, is an ode to street guerrilla poster culture highlighting the work of designers Lydienne Albertoe, Serana Angelista, Jeanine van Berkel and Cengiz Mengüç.
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Above: Left: poster by Serana Angelista, Right: poster by Cengiz Mengüç
to 31 October 2021
Seaside Modern: Art and Life on the Beach
Curator James Russell takes a fresh look at the popularity of the British seaside in the first half of the twentieth century, with work by major modern British artists including Paul Nash, L. S. Lowry, Eileen Agar and Laura Knight, as well as advertising posters and archive photographs.
Hastings Contemporary, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW, UK
Above. Rye Harbour by Eric Ravilious (1938). Image courtesy Ingram Collection.
to 31 October 2021
AI: More than Human
Explored through prominent and cutting-edge research projects, and special commissions and projects by international artists, ‘AI: More than Human’ is an unprecedented survey of the relationship between humans and technology.
World Museum, William Brown St, Liverpool L3 8EL UK
See ‘Thinking machine’, Darryl Clifton’s review of AI: More Than Human in Eye 99.
Above: Justine Emard, Co(AI)xistence, 2017, video installation, with Mirai Moriyama & Alter (developed by Ishiguro lab, Osaka University and Ikegami Lab, Tokyo University), © Justine Emard / Adagp, Paris 2018.
to 31 October 2021
Taking a Line for a Walk
This exhibition will mark 50 years of revered illustrator John Vernon Lord’s life and work in Ditchling. Lord is one of Britain's most recognised and respected illustrators, owing both to his own practice, and his pioneering contribution to education across almost six decades.
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Lodge Hill Ln, Ditchling, Hassocks BN6 8SP, UK
Above: John Vernon Lord, Jaguar Armadillo illustration for Who’s Zoo by Conrad Aiken, Cape 1977
to 21 November 2021
Biennale internationale de design graphique Chaumont 2021
Centre National du Graphisme, 1 Place Émile Goguenheim, 52000 Chaumont, France
Free access to the exhibitions, the café and coworking space (free Wifi)
Open from Wednesday to Sunday 2pm to 6pm, every day by reservation: resa@cndg.fr
to 12 December 2022
Phantoms of Surrealism
‘Phantoms of Surrealism’ will examine the pivotal role of women as both artists and as behind-the-scenes organisers within the Surrealist movement in Britain in the 1930s.
The Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX, UK
Above: Sheila Legge as Surrealist ‘Phantom’, TrafalgarSquare, London, 11 June 1936. Photograph attributed to Claude Cahun © Jersey Heritage Collections.
JUNE 2021
19 June — 5 September 2021
Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life
An exhibition of the works of Charlotte Perriand, whose pioneering designs shaped the 20th century. Her modern ideas can be found in the way we live today, from the use of materials to her belief that good design is for everyone.
the Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG, UK
Above: Charlotte Perriand, Maison au bord de l'eau, 1934, © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2020 / © AChP.
21 June — 31 July 2021
Jane Hilton: For Better Or For Worse
One of the first activities to go when the coronavirus forced us to socially distance was weddings. Photographer Jane Hilton exhibits an installation of large-scale photographs of vacant wedding chapels in Las Vegas, shot in the 90s when the wedding industry was booming.
Solaris Gallery, 76 Norman Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex
Above: The Neon Chapel, Las Vegas, Las Vegas by Jane Hilton. Image courtesy of Solaris gallery and the artist.
28 June 2021
ELLA: The Typographic Link Between Calligraphy and Brutalism
Laura Meseguer, as a guest of ‘The Lubalin Lecture Series’ hosted by Type@Cooper, will talk about deepening the design of stencil types from the calligraphic model.
Location: Online and free. Time: 12:30-14:30 (EDT) 18:30-20:30 (CET) 17:30-18:30
JULY 2021
8 July 2021
12 July 2021
Letterpress in the Time of Covid
An evening of short ten minute lectures on the theme of letterpress in the time of covid. Featuring Ane Thon Knutsen, Ben Blount, Naomi Kent, Michelle Yu, New North Press, Peter Gibbons, and more to be announced shortly. They will share their experiences since the pandemic took told of the world in 2020.
Monday 12 July 2021, 7–9pm (BST)
Online via Zoom
Tickets: £3–5
AUGUST 2021
From 23 August
Sonic Boom
A community-focused, multi-sensory installation exploring the nature of communication through the interactive deployment of sound. Curated by Alter-Projects and designed by sound artist, designer, and electronic musician, Yuri Suzuki.
Brown Hart Gardens, North Mayfair, London.
Free access
SEPTEMBER 2021
18 September 2021 — 9 January 2022
Rock Against Racism: Militant Entertainment 1976-1982
An exhibition that aims to capture the excitement of the moment and the thirst for change, setting RAR’s activities within the social and political context of its time, showcasing the punky RAR aesthetic through posters, photography, badges, stickers, leaflets, letters from young fans across the world, as well as striking graphics from the legendary RAR fanzine, Temporary Hoarding.
De La Warr Pavilion, Marina, Bexhill, East Sussex TN40 1DP, UK
Above: TH Collective, Temporary Hoarding #3, 1977.
OCTOBER 2021
1 — 11 October 2021
212 Photography Istanbul
212 Photography Istanbul is an annual cultural and educational international photography event, featuring an array of exhibits, workshops, film screenings, lecture/panels, portfolio reviews and more.
Mim Kemal Öke Cad.,No.6 D.6 Nişantaşı, Şişli, İstanbul, Turkey
Above: Charles Fréger, Iltis, Buschwiller, France, from the Wilder Mann series.
21 October 2021 — March 2022
Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules
In the 70th year of Beano’s top mischief-maker Dennis, ‘Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules’ will feature original comic drawings, never previously seen in public, selected across its 4,000-plus editions (to date) and rare archive artefacts, alongside works from leading artists and designers, imbued with the same Beano spirit of breaking the rules. Contributors include artists Bedwyr Williams, Hardeep Pandhal, Fourth Plinth artist Heather Phillipson, Holly Hendry, Lindsey Mendick, Sarah Lucas, Simeon Barclay and editorial cartoonist Martin Rowson.
Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA, UK
ONLINE
The 39th Graphic Design Exhibition of the Turkish Graphic Designers Association
This year the annual GMK Graphic Design Exhibition, a recollection of graphic design in Turkey since its debut in 1981, is being held online. The GMK Graphic Design Exhibition Digital Archive will also be publicly accessible in the coming months, displaying this recollection and allowing closer examination of the work and shifting tendencies in Turkish design over the last 39 years.
Ongoing
Reverting to Type 2020: Protest posters
Reverting to Type 2020 is an exhibition of letterpress artwork with something to say, an international exhibition showcasing progressive letterpress artwork by 100 artists from seventeen countries, alongside the work of specially invited collaborators, including John Anstiss, Shelley Bird, Peter Kennard and Stewart Lee.
Those unable to visit in person can view the full exhibition contents at:
revertingtotype.com
Hours: 12-6pm daily.
Standpoint Gallery, 45 Coronet Street, London N1 6HD, UK
Ongoing
Letterform Archive Online
The Letterform Archive have made their Online Archive public access. You can now enjoy virtual access to nearly 1500 objects and 9000 hi-fi images from their collection.
See ‘Access all areas’ by Claire Mason on the Eye blog and ‘Letterform Archive: Objects of inspiration’ in Eye 100.
ongoing
Lothar Götz: Salvation
Lothar Götz’s fourth solo exhibition in the Domo Baal gallery [currently closed]. The show’s title – with its suggestion of a place of safety and deliverance from earthly woe, finds an echo in the works included: their bursts of abstract space like an opening up of horizons after the closed-in ones of recent months.
Domo Baal, 3 John Street, London WC1N 2ES, UK
Above: Lothar Götz, Salvation 1, 2020.
Ongoing
Ruben Pater of Untold Stories at Insights 2020
Focusing on the ethics of design, this lecture discusses the unspoken realities of designers working remotely across the globe, and from there dives into social and political issues such as climate change, surveillance, and affordable housing.
See Peter Buwert’s ‘Design’s ugly truths’, a review of Ruben Pater’s The Politics of Design, in Eye 93.
Ongoing
Design Interview 10Q
A series of design talks – with Matteo Bologna, Erik Brandt, Dafi Kühne, Thomas Kronbichler and Niklaus Troxler, with more to come – curated by graphic designer Fabio Mario Rizzotti. You can watch the interviews on the @designinterview10q IGTV and YouTube channel.
See ‘Sticks in the mind’ in Eye 69.
Ongoing
MODA Online
The Museum of Design Atlanta has launched a range of online classes, workshops and meetups for both young and adult designers, as well as a series of online sessions, titled ‘Drink in Design’, with a range of creatives who will talk you through their work and career paths.
ongoing
The 1970s
The decade marks a historic turn in art history for photography. No longer was traditional landscape and documentary photography the same. Photography shared the spotlight with painting.
Online exhibition on the website of the PDNB Gallery.
Above: Bill Owens, Our House is Built with the Living Room in the Back, 1971.
Ongoing
Whitney: Art History from Home
While the Museum is temporarily closed, the Whitney is offering range of online resources and events centred around American art of the twentieth century.
Above: Ana Mendieta, Untitled (Silueta Series, Iowa), 1979.
Ongoing
Everyday Life: GDR
Dokumentationszentrum Alltagskultur der DDR, Erich-Weinert-Allee 3
15890 Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany