A dystopian identity-swap film moves into Somerset
House for free the same day two Lisson Gallery shows open five
minutes apart on Marylebone’s Bell Street and Lisson Street.
Vortex marks Sonny Rollins’ death with a tribute from two of
British jazz’s own, and a Bethnal Green sandwich shop hands its
kitchen to a Hackney Wick barbecue outfit for two nights. A free
Barbican sound-installation closes Saturday, Tate Britain’s
Whistler retrospective the day after.
A hand-checked shortlist of the week in London culture
· new every Thursday
This is a week that opens with new galleries and closes with old ones
shutting their doors. Thursday, Somerset House unveils Jenkin van
Zyl’s first major London show, free, the same day Lisson
Gallery opens two exhibitions five minutes’ walk apart on
Marylebone’s Bell Street and Lisson Street. By Sat 26 and Sun
27, a free sound-installation at the Barbican and Tate
Britain’s Whistler retrospective both go dark for good. In
between: a Sonny Rollins tribute at Vortex marking the
saxophonist’s death this year, a barbecue takeover in Bethnal
Green, and Tim Key back at Wilton’s with a new hour.
A fatigue note: Vortex and the Barbican both rest next week after
two issues running. Café OTO comes back after a week off,
hosting Elliott Sharp’s residency instead. One pick needed real
cross-checking — Wilton’s own listings page still shows
Tim Key’s November 2025 dates, but the venue’s live
booking system confirms the current run is 28 September–3
October, so that’s what we went with.
Van Zyl’s first major London show, developed
through a Somerset House Studios residency: a newly commissioned
film and installation set inside a decaying cryonics facility where
wealthy “Donors” once paid to temporarily inhabit other
lives through cloned “Cherubs.” The story follows Mercy,
a former Cherub trying to terminate her contract as the line
between original and copy breaks down — maintenance as a form
of denial, technological advancement that’s outpaced anyone’s
ability to make sense of it. Contains images of blood and
psychological distress; not recommended under 12.
A free, genuinely strange debut show in a building that usually plays it safer than this.
Lisson Gallery · 67 Lisson St & 27 Bell St, Marylebone NW1 · to 7 Nov · Free
Two openings, five minutes’ walk apart, both free
geometric abstraction. At 67 Lisson Street, drawings, paintings and
sculpture from the final decade of Carmen Herrera’s life
(she died in 2022, aged 106, having trained as an architect before
spending eighty years on line, form and colour) — curated by
Marie Perennès across four galleries. At 27 Bell Street, Ha
Chong-Hyun’s first Lisson show and first London show since
2020: six decades of the Korean Dansaekhwa pioneer forcing paint
through the back of hemp canvas. A panel talk on both artists’
generation of abstraction runs at Bell Street on 13 October.
Vortex Jazz Club · Dalston, N16 · Sat 26 Sep, doors 7.45pm · £21–£23
Bassist Gary Crosby OBE (Tomorrow’s Warriors
co-founder) and saxophonist Denys Baptiste (Mercury-nominated, MOBO
winner) lead an all-star quartet through Rollins’ landmark
1956 album, marking both its 70th anniversary and Rollins’
death this year. Two full sets, not a note-for-note covers night:
Crosby has been open about wanting to honour “a colossus of
imagination and invention,” not just the tunes.
A tribute from musicians who knew exactly what they were tributing.
Sadler’s Wells East · Stratford, E20 · Thu–Sat, 7.30pm · from £15
A double bill from Wales’s national company:
Theo Clinkard’s "Ordinary Courage" (2012), grief and human
connection set to Scarlatti and Bach, paired with Olivier-nominated
Alesandra Seutin’s new "Untamed" — built around the
human urge to run, scored with traditional Welsh instruments and
ancestral voices. 95 minutes with an interval; Thursday carries a
post-show talk.
Wilton’s Music Hall · Wapping, E1 · 28 Sep–3 Oct, 7.45pm · £12.50
A new hour from the poet-comedian: 70 minutes, no
interval, latecomers held until a break in proceedings. Wilton’s
own listings page still shows this run’s previous outing
(Nov 2025). We confirmed 28 Sep–3 Oct against the venue’s
live booking system instead of the marketing page.
Rogue Sarnies · 263 Poyser St, Bethnal Green E2 · Fri (ticketed) & Sat (walk-in)
Hon’s BBQ — the Hackney Wick fire-cooking
outfit that opened permanently in 2026 — takes over Rogue
Sarnies’ sandwich shop for two nights: smoked ox cheek and
honey-pepper-glazed pork belly loaded onto Rogue’s crispy
rolls, chilli-salt corn ribs to share. Friday adds a vinyl DJ set
from Hon alongside jungle-revival name Tim Reaper and Deft; that
night is ticketed with food included. Saturday is walk-in, pay as
you eat. Friday’s exact ticket price wasn’t published
anywhere we could find as of 24 Sep — check roguesarnies.uk
before turning up expecting a fixed number.
Tate Britain, Millbank SW1P · to Sun 27 Sep · £24 (concessions £22, 16–25 £5, members free)
Paintings from Whistler’s best-known years
alongside rarely or never seen works: portraits, drawings, prints
and designs from his teenage years training in St Petersburg
through to his late self-portraits. The show argues he rewrote
what it meant to be an artist; this is the last weekend to judge
for yourself.
Barbican, The Pit · to Sat 26 Sep, 12–8pm daily · Free
A free acoustic-essay installation by Turner
Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan: a video-game simulation
designed by his research agency Earshot, built around a planned
wind-turbine development on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,
plus a recorded performance by a saxophonist playing from a
balcony 50 metres from the proposed site. The free installation
is one strand of a wider four-day Repercussions takeover;
the ticketed performances and screenings around it (£14–£25)
mostly ran earlier in the week — this is the last day for
the free part.