Enjoy these must-see events in August

From opera drive-ins to contemporary Japanese dance, there are plenty of virtual and in-person cultural activities to enjoy.

Discover Overlooked Art from Zimbabwe

William Nyati, Tree flowers, 1945. Photo Debbie Sears

This fascinating exhibition of Zimbabwean painters brings together a selection of work that has not been seen in public in almost 70 years. Preserved in the basement of the former St Michael and All Angels Church for decades, this collection features artists who attended the Cyrene Mission School (a boys’ school near Bulawayo), including Samuel Songo, Kingsley Sambo and Timothy Dhlodhlo, who went on to pave the way for a distinct form of Zimbabwean Modern art. 

The Stars are Bright: Zimbabwe through the eyes of its young painters from Cyrene (1940–1947), at The Theatre Courtyard Green Rooms

Until 30 September

Pre-booking essential via thestarsarebright.com

Enjoy opera from the comfort of your car

© Luna Cinema

The Royal Opera House has extended its offerings with socially distanced broadcasts of some of its best-loved performances, from La bohème to Swan Lake. A variety of screenings are taking place at stunning outdoor locations including Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and Harewood House, in collaboration with Luna Cinema, with visitors enjoying state-of-the-art sound and picture quality from the comfort of their cars. 

Various venues, from 2 August

Book tickets via roh.org.uk

Encounter New Storytelling with Toyin Ojih Odutola

Imitation Lesson; Her Shadowed Influence from A Countervailing Theory (2019) © Toyin Ojih Odutola. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

Nigerian-American artist Toyin Ojih Odutola has produced a site-specific installation in Barbican’s Curve gallery, exploring an ancient myth of her own imagining. The artist pieces together fragments of surreal landscapes and prehistoric civilisation using pastel, chalk and charcoal, all of which is accompanied by a soundscape conceived by Peter Adjaye. Ojih Odutola hopes that this new project will allow audiences to engage ‘with eclectic forms of storytelling, and all the potential art-making gifts us’.

Toyin Ojih Odutola: A Countervailing Theory, The Curve, Barbican Centre

11 August 2020 – 24 January 2021

Pre-booking essential via Barbican.org

Experience the electricity of Japanese creativity

Kentaro Kujirai & Barabbas Okuyama, Trigger Point-Nature

The Coronet Theatre is showcasing an array of Japanese talent via online broadcast, as part of its Inside Out series, which brings unique artist encounters online. Experience the multifaceted contemporary art scene across dance, theatre, fashion and film, including interpretations of traditional Butoh dance with Barabbas Okuyama and Kentaro Kujirai; comedy from Kentaro Kobayashi; an exclusive interview with radical fashion and shoe designer Kei Kagami; and a new photo series from Mayumi Hirata. 

Electric Japan

Until 7 August

Online at thecoronettheatre.com

laugh along with Eddie Izzard from a Rooftop

To celebrate the reopening of the De La Warr Pavilion, comedian Eddie Izzard is presenting two rooftop shows, offering a socially distanced, all-weather experience, where guests can choose from deckchairs or bring-your-own blankets. Expect an abridged version of his world tour – with bonus material from former shows – inWunderbar,or enjoy his work-in-progress rendition of the Dickens classic Great Expectations. 

Wunderbar, 4-9 August; Expectations of Great Expectations, 4-16 August

De La Warr Pavilion

dlwp.com

Holly Black is The Art Society's Digital Editor