THE FIVE BEST ARTS EVENTS THIS AUGUST

The best cultural events to see this August 2018

1 CINEMA UNDER STARLIGHT

At a time when many of us settle for Netflix on half-charged laptops, open-air The Luna Cinema knows how to put the atmosphere back into film – take the screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at York Minster, for instance. Check out the list of nationwide events here – and the lovely line-up for kiddies here.
 
July–October

Image courtesy of Luna Cinema

2 UNCHAINED MELODY

In Edinburgh, in a disused fire station north of the Clyde, a tide of voices murmur and rise and pitch to a cacophony. Representing 100 poets who have been imprisoned, in many cases executed, from the eighth century to now, the voices form Shilpa Gupta’s sound installation, For, in your tongue, I cannot hide, the crown jewel in Edinburgh Art Festival’s truly excellent summer programme.
 
26 July–26 August

Image: Shilpa Gupta, For, in your tongue I cannot hideInstallation view. Courtesy Edinburgh Art Festival. Photo Johnny Barrington

3  MIRACLE PAINTINGS

Inspired by the miraculous and the mundane, Royal Academician Stephen Farthing’s The Miracle Paintings 2011-2018 form the subject of an extraordinary exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral. Featuring geometric paintings and works on paper, the exhibition explores the magic of everyday life.
 
23 August–23 October

Stephen Farthing RA The Miracle of Geometry, 2011, oil, acrylic and gesso on canvas, 207x173cms. Image: Dan Stevens

4 OUR KISSES ARE PETALS

As part of the Great Exhibition of the North, head to BALTIC in Gateshead, where you’ll find a solo show from Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid. Spilling out of the gallery into the square outside, Our Kisses are Petals is a show based on the patterns, colours and symbolism of the Kanga, a bright cotton fabric traditionally worn by East African women.
 
11 May–28 October 2018

Lubaina Himid, 'Our Kisses are Petals' installation view, BALTIC. Photo- Colin Davison © 2018

5 STUFFED, PICKLED & PINNED

A platypus; an aurochs bone; the daintiest of churches, painted on a feather – this travelling exhibition brings together works from 18 museums, exploring the natural world and our place within it.
 
1 August–14 October 2018

St Mary's Church Swansea painted on a feather by Captain Will Nelson c1898© Swansea Museum