The best art exhibitions: London, autumn 2021

Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts

For the second year running, this year's Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy will be held in the Autumn and promises to be a multimedia spectacular. Co-ordinated by Royal Academician Yinka Shonibare, the theme is Reclaiming Magic. In addition to selected public submissions, Shonibare has invited a host of influential black artists to exhibit, including Michael Armitage, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Faith Ringgold. John Akomfrah RA will have a dedicated gallery showing his video work Peripeteia, 2012 and there will be a sound programme available for download, which will include soundscapes and poetry by six artists.

Poussin and the Dance, National Gallery

Nicholas Poussin, sometimes referred to as the father of French painting, is primarily known for his strict academic style. However, the National Gallery wants to change our minds by introducing us to the more whimsical side of this master of neo-classicism, who also liked to indulge in revellous scenes of dancing and general mischief-making. Tambourines at the ready!

Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything, British Museum

Between the years 1820 and 1840 Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai embarked on an ambitious project called The Great Picture Book of Everything, a visual encyclopaedia of the natural world, Buddhist India and Ancient China. The book was never published, but 103 of the drawings he made for this compendium are going on display at the British Museum, alongside Hokusai's iconic work, The Great Wave.

Hogarth and Europe, Tate Britain

William Hogarth, that consummate painter of modern life, is perhaps best known for his satirical series, A Rake's Progress. Through his paintings and etchings he examined the poverty and hypocrisy of life during the industrial revolution, as the cogs of industry and empire began to turn with unstoppable momentum all across Europe. Tate Britain's exhibition will examine Hogarth's art alongside that of his continental contemporaries, comparing 18th century British life with life across the English Channel.

Mixing it up: Painting Today, Hayward Gallery

The Hayward Gallery is bringing together the works of 31 contemporary painters to showcase the diversity and urgent relevancy of painting today. The show will include works by big names, such as Lubaina Himid, Peter Doig, Rose Wylie and Lisa Brice and rising stars, such as Louise Giovanelli and Issy Wood. This exhibition is a must-see for those keeping a finger on the pulse of contemporary painting.

Shilpa Gupta and Noguchi exhibitions, Barbican Centre

The Barbican Centre is offering two exciting exhibitions this autumn. Noguchi opens on 30th September and will celebrate the life and work of Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988). Described as a true polymath, Noguchi's work spanned sculpture, architecture, dance and design. More than 150 works will go on display, including experimental set designs, playground models, lighting and furniture design.

Shilpa Gupta's exhibition opens on 7th October and will explore censorship, confinement and resistance through an immersive installation and soundscape, which comprises 100 microphones suspended form the ceiling. Each microphone will hang above a page of poetry by a poet incarcerated for their work, writings, or beliefs

Zadok Ben-David: Natural Reserve, Kew Gardens

Zadok Ben-David examines our relationship with nature with poetic flair. In this, his first major UK solo show since 2008, Ben-David brings brand new and extended artworks to Kew Gardens, including including his 360-degree installation which is comprised of more than 17,000 etched, hand-painted flowers.

This is the Night Mail Selected by Ida Ekblad, White Chapel Gallery

This exhibition of works selected by artist Ida Ekblad from the art collection of Norwegian businessman Christen Sveaas, promises to get us well and truly in the mood for those long, moonlit winter nights. The title of the exhibition is taken from a 1936 poem by W.H. Auden, the first line of which is, this is the night mail. The poem, commissioned by the Post Office, imagines the nocturnal journey of a train across the British landscape. Imagining the display as three train compartments, Ekblad explores how the night can bring with it a range of surreal emotions and experiences. Including works by artists, such as Harald Sohlberg, Ed Ruscha and Louise Bourgeois, this promises to be an atmospheric exhibition.

Lubaina Himid exhibition, Tate Modern

This expansive exhibition will bring together new work and selected highlights from Lubaina Himid’s influential career. The artist and cultural activist is heavily influenced by theatre and this exhibition will unfold like scenes on a stage, placing the visitor in the centre of the action. The show will reflect on her innovative approaches to painting and social engagement, as she brings marginalised female experiences to the fore.