5 amazing exhibitions to see this September

From ancient treasures to abstract painting, here are our picks

Discover Viking treasures in Aberdeen

The Galloway Hoard contains over 100 precious objects including silver, gold, jewelled treasures, rare textiles, linen, wool and Scotland’s earliest examples of silk. Buried around AD 900, it offers rare insight into a critical moment in history when the nations of Scotland, England and Ireland formed as we know them today.

The Galloway Hoard: Viking-Age Treasure, Aberdeen Art Gallery, until 23 October

aberdeencity.ac.uk

Jadé Fadojutimi, An Empathic Revolution, 2022. Photo: Michael Brzezinski. Courtesy: Jadé Fadojutimi

Encounter epic abstract painting in Wakefield

Over the past few years, young art star Jadé Fadojutimi has been causing quite a stir with her massive abstract paintings, some of which are completed in a single sitting. Her canvases blend nods to figuration with bold, beautiful colours, and her latest works are directly influenced by the architecture of The Hepworth Wakefield. 

Jadé Fadojutimi, The Hepworth Wakefield, 16 September 2022–19 March 2023

hepworthwakefield.org

William Kentridge, Video still from Notes Towards a Model Opera, 2015.Three channel HD film; 11 minutes 14 seconds. Courtesy the artist © William Kentridge

See a stunning survey of William Kentridge 

The internationally acclaimed South African artist has a practice that spans everything from immersive moving images to staging operas. His major new exhibition at the Royal Academy promises to showcase every aspect of his oeuvre, spanning works from across a 40-year period. Highlights include four-metre-wide tapestries and the three-screen film Notes Towards a Model Opera. 

William Kentridge, the Royal Academy, 24 September–11 December

royalacademy.org.uk

The renowned performance artist is presenting a new interactive work in Oxford, developed during a residency at the nearby Pitt Rivers Museum. Visitors will be invited to experience a ‘portal’ and ‘gate’, informed by practices of Tibetan Buddhism. According to the artist, it is her most conceptual show to date. 

Marina Abramović: Gates and Portals, Modern Art Oxford, 24 September 2022–5 March 2023

modernartoxford.org.uk

Carolee Schneemann, Eye Body: 36 Transformative Actions for Camera,1963. Photograph by Erró Courtesy of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation and Galerie Lelong & Co., Hales  Gallery, and P.P.O.W, New York and © Carolee Schneemann Foundation / ARS, New York and  DACS, London 2022 Photograph Erró © ADAGP, Paris and DACS,  London 2022

Discover the radical body at the Barbican

The feminist avant-garde artist Carolee Schneemann blazed a trail with her transgressive work that spanned performance, film, sculpture, painting and more. The first major survey of her work in the UK considers her influence on a new generation of contemporary artists and thinkers through an incredible archive that charts the making of a feminist icon. 

Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics, Barbican Art Gallery, 8 September 2022–8 January 2023

barbican.org.uk