The five best art events to see this month: October

Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop

From indie pioneers to global superstars, this major exhibition takes a look at how Scottish pop music took over the world. Starting with the dance halls of the 1950s, it takes a musical journey through the pure pop of the 1960s, the glam rock and glitter of the 1970s, the New Romantics and the New Wave. Relive your youth through original stage outfits and instruments, memorabilia, props, film and TV clips. Artists featured include Lulu, Annie Lennox, Garbage, Franz Ferdinand and The Proclaimers. There’s even a coat that was once worn by a Bay City Roller.

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. Until 25 November, nms.ac.uk

Image: Courtesy of Rip It Up 

Victoria Crowe: Beyond Likeness

This exhibition brings together some of the finest works by an artist who has been described as one of the most vital and original figurative painters currently at work in Scotland. The collection features portraits of a range of cultural figures, including Nobel Laureate Sir Peter Higgs, composer Thea Musgrave and astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. Until 18 November, nationalgalleries.org

Image: Victoria Crowe, Mirror of the South (Self Portrait), 2001

Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft

The first-ever exhibition to explore the ways that magical thinking has been practised over the centuries. The exhibition reveals how our strongest emotions drive the need to employ magic. Charms are used to try and find love, ward off evil and protect our homes. The exhibition also looks at the idea and reality of witches and witchcraft. Contemporary artists have created new works inspired by the idea of magic.

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Until 6 January 2019, ashmolean.org

Image: Witches' ladder (c) Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

I Object: Ian Hislop’s Search For Dissent

Private Eye editor Ian Hislop has a rummage around the eight-million-strong British Museum collection to find objects people have used to protest through the ages. From graffiti on a Babylonian brick and rude words on a banknote to satirical Turkish shadow puppets and the pink ‘pussy hats’ worn at recent anti-Trump demonstrations, the exhibition reveals the ways the downtrodden and the protestors have got their point across in often unusual ways.

The British Museum. Until 20 January 2019, britishmuseum.org

Image: Factory owner from Day of Dead festival, Mexico, 1980s, papier-mâché. © The Trustees of the British Museum

Love’s Victory

Featuring love-struck mortals and deviant deities, Lady Mary Wroth’s play Love’s Victory (1617), focuses on the trials and tribulations of a group of shepherds and shepherdesses. Written at a time when women’s writing was rarely published, Wroth’s play fell into obscurity. Thanks to the efforts of ‘Shakespeare and His Sisters’, a project led by Professor Alison Findlay at Lancaster University, it’s hoped that new audiences will now discover Wroth’s work.

In September, the first professional performance of Love’s Victory took place at Penshurst Place, Kent – the site where Wroth is believed to have written her play. To watch a screening of this live-recorded performance, head to The Marlowe Theatre later this month.

The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. 21 October, 7.30pm 

For more information about Shakespeare and His Sisters, click here

Image: Silvesta (Anne-Marie Piazza) and Italian Gardens at Penshurst Place