FIVE CULTURE DATES FOR YOUR 2022 DIARY

As we emerge from that cosy festive feeling, it’s time for a much needed boost of inspiration, so we’ve picked out the top five exhibitions on our radar to get your culture fix for the New Year.

Read on for our highlights to put in your diary for Spring.

Anish Kapoor: Painting Modern Art Oxford, until February 13

Anish Kapoor, Modern Art Oxford

Oxford’s Modern Art Museum is pulling out all the stops this year, with some major international names not to miss. There’s still time to squeeze in a visit for the current big name show, Anish Kapoor: Painting, finishing mid February. The internationally renowned artist’s huge, blood red sculptural-paintings are not for the faint-hearted, exploring the idea of the body and internal organs in art form. If you miss this one, the Marina Abramović show starting September should be one for your diary. The pioneering performance artist will present a solo show, following a research residency at Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum in the summer.

Peter Matthews and Shallow Lands, Informality Gallery, Henley-on-Thames

Peter Matthews, from the Atlantic Coast of Maine (right) and the Pacific Coast of California (left), 2019, Informality Gallery

Even closer to home, Henley’s very own Informality Gallery is our pick for contemporary art with a focus on natural forms, colours and textures. Currently on display in their online viewing rooms are gorgeous panels of saturated oils by Peter Matthews, inspired by his time spent in the wild along the US and Cornwall coasts. Meanwhile in the gallery, check out Somerset studio Forest + Found’s current solo exhibition Shallow Lands, featuring works that looks beneath the surface of our natural landscapes, taking natural wood and trees as their inspiration.

Body Vessel Clay: Black Women, Ceramics & Contemporary Art, Two Temple Place, London, January 29 - April 24

Thomas Broadhead for OmVed Gardens, Two Temple Place

This one’s for the ceramicists in our creative community, but even if pottery isn’t your specialism - this one offers an essential rethink of ceramics and clay works. The exhibition explores how ceramics have been disrupted, questioned and reimagined by Black women over the last 70 years. The show is accompanied by a busy programme of events, late night openings and craft workshops too.

Amy: Beyond the stage, Design Museum, London, Until April 10

Amy Winehouse by Charles Moriarty, The Design Museum

The first of its kind, the Design Museum is showcasing a poignant and personal exhibition dedicated to Amy Winehouse. Explore the outfits she wore during her greatest performances, plus handwritten lyrics and personal items that have never been exhibited before. A chance to discover the story of Amy’s early career through her recordings and teenage notebooks to unravel the creative process behind her music.

Hockney to Himid: 60 Years of British Printmaking, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, Until April 24

Tacita Dean, An Organised Whole, Pallant House Gallery

Day trip to the coast anyone? Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery’s Spring show is a good excuse to explore the West Sussex town’s pretty shops and cafes. Pallant House is a gorgeous space set in a historic townhouse with a striking modern extension. The new show of upliftingly colourful prints features over 100 works by the likes of Peter Blake, Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Chris Ofili, Grayson Perry and Rachel Whiteread and more.