12 ways to keep art addicts entertained throughout lockdown 3.0

Looking to mix-up your lockdown routine?

With the UK staying firmly in lockdown for the foreseeable, we’ve pulled together 12 ways to keep fellow art addicts entertained.

Whether you’re looking for outside art to explore as part of your daily exercise or exhibitions to delve into online, here’s some of the best ways to help keep you busy until Spring.

Art to explore on your lockdown walks

1. Wander Art Walking Trail

Make sure you add this new public artwork to your daily lockdown exercise. Spanning the neighbourhoods of Mayfair and Belgravia, Wander Art showcases some of the most exciting and innovative outdoor art installations from 12 world renowned artists, offering a new way to enjoy London’s art outdoors.

With 12 large-scale artworks in a range of distinctive striking and colourful styles, the art in the Wander Art trail celebrates the architecture and creative talents of London, drawing on personal stories and individual perspectives of the capital from artists local, national and international.

Learn more here.

2. CIRCA Art: Tony Cokes

Tony Cokes’ CIRCA commission '4 VOICES / 4 WEEKS' puts a spotlight on U.S. violence and the struggle for civil rights in 2021.

Displaying on the Piccadilly Lights in Piccadilly Circus at c:20:21 GMT every evening, American visual artist Tony Cokes will broadcast four powerful new films confronting police violence and the questions we face in the post-pandemic era.

4 Voices / 4 Weeks presents Cokes’ translation of words by John Lydon, Judith Butler, US civil rights hero John Lewis and Elijah McClain, a 23-year old African American man who died after being put in a chokehold by police in 2019. The works move from punk provocation to peaceful self-sacrifice, recalling McClain’s final words and expounding our deep responsibilities in the wake of violence against the vulnerable. Across four parts, Cokes’ 4 Voices emerge from contraposed positions but describe an arc and array of crucial realities we face today: mourning mass death, reclaiming the power of public gathering, and continuing the struggle for racial and social equality.

Learn more here and catch all the action via the livestream on CIRCA website.

3. Handel & Hendrix inspired installation on Brooke Street

Handel & Hendrix in London is an historic house on Brook Street in Mayfair where both Jimi Hendrix and George Frideric Handel lived during their lifetimes. They've recently installed a new public artwork by London based artist Iona Rowland. The unique window installation for the museum is inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s time at 23 Brook Street and is a must-visit for local art addicts in lockdown.

Learn more here.

4. Make Joy at Fortnum & Mason’s

Throughout 2020, we missed the arts greatly. With the brief to MAKE JOY in the flagship Piccadilly Fortnum & Mason windows, the team held an open call for theatre set designers to get involved and showcase their works in the windows of oen of London’s leading institutions. Fortnums wanted to celebrate some of the incredible talent behind the scenes, and give creatives a platform to do what they do best – spreading the power of creativity at a time when arts and culture all but ground to a halt.

Six lucky creatives were selected to bring joy to their windows of the retail giant. Now you can see their creations as part of your daily exercise. Learn more about each designer. Or, visit the online shop here.

Plus, don’t forget the food hall at Fortnum’s remains open throughout lockdown so why not pop-in for a treat if you do pop by?

Online art to explore from home

5. Alon Zakaim Fine Art: Spotlight on Matthieu Matégot

The gallery wowed us with the tapestries of Mathieu Matégot in a recent newsletter by our friends at Mayfair Art Weekend – in case you missed it we wanted to share them with you.

Mathieu Matégot was a Hungarian-born French designer, architect and artist. After studying at Budapest's School of Fine Arts in 1929, Matégot travelled across Italy and the USA until settling in Paris in 1931 where he worked as a set designer, window dresser and tapestry maker.

Learn more about the exhibit. And, subscribe to Mayfair Art Weekend’s email to be the first to know.

6. Royal Academy of Arts: RA Collection in 60 Seconds

For bitesize explorations into art, dive into the Royal academy of Arts' 60 second highlights of works from their collection. The institution recently released a new video exploring the dark mythology behind John William Waterhouse RA's A Mermaid.

Learn more here.

7. Simon Lee Gallery: Pop-up Exhibition

Displaying until 9^th March, virtually explore a group exhibition presented in partnership with Galerie Micheline Szwajcer featuring works by David Claerbout, François Curlet, Daan Van Golden, Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, and Ann Veronica Janssens.

The display includes the 2016 video work ‘The Pure Necessity’ by David Claerbout, which recontextualises characters from The Jungle Book. The video – crafted from painstaking, hand-rendered replicas of frames from the original movie – reimagines the Disney classic as a narrative-free animation, in which each character is discharged of their anthropomorphic traits.

Learn more here.

8. JD Malat Gallery: Ed Moses: Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms

Displaying until 10^th March, and curated in collaboration with the Ed Moses Studio, and accompanied by an essay by Dr Richard Davey, the writer and friend of the late Moses, Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms unveils the exploratory thread of ‘mark making’ that runs through the work of Moses’ later years. The exhibition showcases work from the last two decades of Moses’ life and career.

Learn more here.

9. Flowers Gallery: Taking Stock

Displaying until 14^th March, Taking Stock marks the end of Flowers Gallery’s 50th anniversary year, showcasing key works from its archive by artists that have contributed not only to the Gallery’s legacy but to the canon of contemporary art. The exhibition includes an exquisite video walkthrough with the Gallery's Managing Director Matthew Flowers, in which he discusses the featured works and reflects on the Gallery’s commitment to abstraction throughout its history.

Learn more here.

10. National Gallery’s most viewed paintings of 2020

Throughout the UK's third national lockdown, the National Gallery has remained open online, continuing to bring the nation’s gallery into the nation’s homes. Through its digital initiatives, the gallery is open 24/7 providing everyone with access to great art at anytime, anywhere in the world.

Art addicts have been very busy and as such, the Gallery have pulled together a list of their most viewed paintings, based on the largest number of individual views of a page from 19^th March 2020 when the Gallery first locked down. The most popular painting page, with the highest number of views, is Jan van Eyck’s jewel-like The Arnolfini Portrait, followed by Holbein’s The Ambassadors and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Other visitor favourites include works by Turner, Leonardo, Velázquez, Titian, Constable, Botticelli, Monet, Caravaggio and Vermeer.

Learn more here.

Tasty tipples for your at home art explorations

11. Mr Fogg’s at-home cocktail kit

Truly immerse yourself in the spirit of the Victorian era, inside the comfort of your very own humble abode – as Phileas J. Fogg presents to you an evening of pure delectation, with his wondrous At-Home Cocktail kits!

Delivered to your door from the team behind Mr Fogg’s Tavern, the at-home cocktails contain award-winning libations and exquisite treats for your delectation and pleasure. Simply find your favourite glass, pour your cocktail to the brim, sit back and enjoy…

From as little as £18 for to servings, each cocktail kit includes:

• A double serving pouch of your chosen cocktail
• Dried garnish to make the perfect serve
• A sweet stash of treats

Order yours online here.

12. The Wolseley's at-home dining and cocktail kits

The Wolseley Collection Take Home Cocktails are a selection of classic, hand-bottled cocktails that can be purchased online for delivery straight to your door. The drinks are created by the bar team at The Wolseley and include a Margarita, Hemingway Daiquiri, English Rose, Negroni and a Manhattan, with each bottle containing two servings. So, if you’re looking for the perfect accompaniment to a meal, (we recommend checking out The Wolseley’s At Home Dining/Entertaining packages too) each cocktail kit can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home from as little as £15 for two servings.

The best part, 100% of the profits from the Home Dining offers will go directly to The Wolseley’s staff to assist with topping up their wages at this time until restaurants can reopen at full capacity.

Deliveries are available Wednesday to Saturday from 72 hours of ordering for Home Dining and 96 hours of ordering for Home Entertaining. You will receive a text on the day of your delivery with a one hour time window.

Learn more and place your order online.

There’s plenty more art to explore

Some of the content from this article has been sourced in partnership with our friends at Mayfair Art Weekend.

The annual celebration of the world’s internationally renowned gallery district, Mayfair Art Weekend will once again take place 25^th – 27^th June 2021, and we are delighted to be preparing for the second Mayfair Sculpture Trail also in June.

To keep up-to-date with everything happening for Mayfair Art Weekend, subscribe to receive their email updates. Or, follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Plus, subscribe to Art of London's email to receive the latest news, eye-opening interviews and a celebration of art in every form straight into your inbox. And, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to be the first to know about arts and culture in London’s West End.