Press release archive: 2023
2023 Press releases
The Southbank Centre today announces a new series, South Asian Sounds, celebrating the rich and varied musical traditions of the wider Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Afghan diaspora as well as ambitious UK-based artists and collectives working at the intersection of cultures and genres, from bhangra to jazz, Qawwali to club music.
From 1 December 2023 – 7 January 2024, the Hayward Gallery presents Heecheon Kim: Double Poser, the first UK exhibition of South Korean artist and filmmaker Heecheon Kim. Developed in collaboration with Seoul’s Art Sonje Center, the exhibition presents a new moving image commission alongside existing video work, exploring how technology affects our perception of the world.
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love will be the first major international tour of this pioneering artist’s work whose influences range from 19th-century painting to popular culture. Co-organised by the Hayward Gallery, London, and The Broad, Los Angeles, and in partnership with the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, All About Love will be shown as a series of independent presentations, with further venues to be confirmed.
The Southbank Centre’s renowned and celebrated Imagine Children’s Festival returns from 7 to 17 February with a programme of creative, imaginative and fun-filled experiences for all the family to enjoy this February half term.
The Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival is back for 2023 and bigger than ever before, showcasing a programme bursting with festive family fun. Visitors can come together this winter and experience magical dance, cabaret, music and comedy performances from the likes of Nutcracker and Christmas Actually, alongside free workshops, dazzling Winter Light art installations and a variety of food and gift markets.
Opening on 2 November, the show curated by award-winning poet Joelle Taylor, features nearly 200 artworks by artists in prison and other secure establishments from across the UK. The exhibition, in partnership with the Southbank Centre, draws attention to themes of separation and connection through a series of glass cases and vitrines, inviting the public to metaphorically ‘break the glass’ and overcome barriers to creativity.
From sculptural exhibition When Forms Come Alive which will ooze, undulate, blossom, erupt and sprawl across the gallery’s walls, floors and ceilings, to solo exhibitions of work from pioneering artists Tavares Strachan and Haegue Yang, the Hayward Gallery will be a space for visitors to immerse themselves in a range of topics and mediums in 2014.
The Southbank Centre and its family of Resident Orchestras today announce its Classical Music Spring/Summer 2024 programme.
From 11 October to 19 November 2023, the Hayward Gallery, the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation and the Kochi Biennale Foundation present The Politics of Skin and Movement by Amol K Patil. The exhibition commemorates Patil as the first recipient of the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation/Kochi-Muziris Biennale (DBF-KMB) Award, a multi-year exhibition and lecture programme spotlighting emerging South Asian artists.
From 11 October 2023 — 7 January 2024, the Hayward Gallery will present Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine, the largest survey to date of the internationally renowned artist.
The Southbank Centre announces its Winter 2023 Literature and Spoken Word Season, taking place from November 2023 to February 2024. From memoirs by iconic musicians to the first ever anthology of bi+ poetry, plus new novels from award-winning authors, celebrated poets and new writers, this season offers audiences unbeatable cultural experiences.
This Winter, the Southbank Centre presents a packed programme of exciting new shows for everyone to enjoy featuring a mix of family events, cabaret, dance, music and comedy.
Today, the public is invited to experience the powerful responses of 77 Black and Black mixed heritage artists to climate change through an immersive exhibition titled Reframe: The Residency Exhibition, created as part of the Southbank Centre’s landmark career acceleration programme Reframe: The Residency.
The Southbank Centre today announces a stellar Autumn/Winter 2023/24 Performance and Dance season, featuring new commissions and premieres from adventurous and influential artists and up-and-coming names from around the world.
The Southbank Centre today announces London Literature Festival 2023, showcasing the explosive popularity of spoken word poetry alongside new partnerships with literary lovers from across the UK.
From 21 June to 3 September 2023, the Hayward Gallery presents Dear Earth: Art and Hope in a Time of Crisis, a timely exhibition exploring how international contemporary artists are helping to reframe our responses to the climate crisis.
The Hayward Gallery and the Bagri Foundation present वेणु[Venu], a new, immersive and striking bamboo structure by Indian artist Asim Waqif, exploring themes of urban space, ecology and community.
The Southbank Centre today announces that legendary composer, producer and musician Brian Eno will perform his new live concert programme, ‘Ships’, in a UK exclusive.
The Southbank Centre today announces that pioneering DJ and producer Honey Dijon is taking over its venues for two exceptional evenings of live music and club nights.
Over 2500 Key Stage 2 schoolchildren in Newcastle, Norwich, Kendal, Sunderland and London will work with award-winning children’s author Sita Brahmachari and Caribbean-English illustrator Lucy Farfort.
The Southbank Centre today announces an ambitious free multi-artform programme as part of Christine and the Queens highly anticipated Meltdown festival.
The Southbank Centre announces its Summer 2023 Literature and Spoken Word Season taking place from June through to October.
These 80 emerging artists will present their artwork at a free exhibition, which opens on Tuesday 18 July at the Southbank Centre and runs for several weeks during Planet Summer, a multi-artform season that explores themes of care, hope, connection and activism in response to the climate emergency.
The Southbank Centre today announces that acclaimed fashion designer Nicholas Daley, renowned for his intricate, colourful knitwork and interplay with music and culture, is taking over the Southbank Centre.
The Southbank Centre and its family of six Resident Orchestras, who together reflect the full spectrum of classical music, announces its Autumn/Winter 2023/24 programme.
The Southbank Centre today announces additional performances and the lineup of exciting late night events and parties, as part of Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown.
The Hayward Gallery café undergoes a bright and bold refresh courtesy of new public art commission macule (2023) by Taiwanese artist Michael Lin.
The Southbank Centre today announces the launch of a new multi-artform artist development initiative, Southbank Centre Studio, along with the first cohort of artists supported under the programme.
The Hayward Gallery, Moët & Chandon and urban rewilding organisation SUGi are joining forces to install a pocket forest, Natura Nostra Forest — Southbank, a 130 metre-squared
patch of 390 trees created as a new, permanent feature of the Southbank Centre.
The Southbank Centre today announces the return of its free gig series futuretense, featuring performances from some of London’s most exciting underground and emerging artists, as well as those from further afield.
From 21 June to 3 September, the Southbank Centre presents Planet Summer, a landmark multi-artform season that explores themes of care, hope, connection and activism in response to the climate emergency.
The Southbank Centre’s popular Art by Post scheme, in partnership with the National Academy for Social Prescribing, which delivered free activity booklets to those most isolated during COVID-19, returns with six new creativity booklets providing free poetry and art activities to support anyone with long-term physical and mental health needs.
The Southbank Centre today announces the highly anticipated first acts performing as part of Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown. Reflecting the wealth of Christine and the Queens’ influences and inspirations, the 28th edition of the world’s longest-running artist curated festival will take place this summer, Friday 9 June until Sunday 18 June.
The Southbank Centre today announces a raft of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s iconic 1973 album, Aladdin Sane . Aladdin Sane: 50 Years will feature a two-month long exhibition (6 April – 28 May) exploring the creation of the album’s iconic artwork, including the legendary lightning flash portrait by photographer Brian Duffy, as well as a stellar line-up of live music and talks inspired by the album.
Aaron Wright has been appointed Head of Performance and Dance at the Southbank Centre to lead its performance arts programme including dance, theatre, comedy and live art. Currently Artistic Director at Fierce in Birmingham, Aaron will join the Southbank Centre’s Artistic Programming team in April and will report to Mark Ball, Artistic Director.
Showing until 7 May 2023, the Hayward Gallery presents Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons, the first major survey exhibition of large-scale immersive installations and sculptural works by the internationally acclaimed British artist.
The Southbank Centre today announces it is the first UK venue to be awarded Attitude is Everything’s highest possible accolade in its efforts to improve access and inclusion to live events. The Attitude is Everything Platinum Award, given by the disability-led charity, recognises the art centre’s commitment to providing the best possible experience for audiences and understanding the potential access requirements of Deaf, disabled, neurodivergent and people with health conditions.
The Southbank Centre and Apple today announced national partners and further details of REFRAME , its pioneering new talent development programme to support emerging Black and Black Mixed heritage creatives in London, Manchester and Birmingham. This partnership between the Southbank Centre and Apple helps address and remove the systemic barriers to career development Black creatives face in the arts and creative industries.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders will discuss his new book It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism on 23 February 2023.