Unmissable Art in North West London in 2023

North West London has a thriving creative scene, made up of long-established arts spaces and grassroots galleries. The recent Brent Biennial in 2020 led to new spaces opening up and permanent public artworks going on display, while Barnet Borough Arts Council fosters and promotes the arts in the London Borough of Barnet. Many of the area’s new galleries and artists work closely with the surrounding communities, exploring its rich history of music and creativity as well as the enduring impact of colonialism in shaping its narrative. 

Camden Art Centre 

One of the most established galleries in North London, Camden Art Centre (Arkwright Road, NW3) shows a mix of emerging and industry leading artists often exploring broader social or political topics. There is also a serene garden and café offering a mix of seasonal dishes. On 27th January, the centre opens two new UK solo debut exhibitions investigating the nature of memory. Mohammed Sami’s evocative paintings are drawn from his time living in Iraq under Saddam Hussain’s rule and later experiences as a refugee in Sweden. French artist Atiéna R. Kilfa’s looped video of a staircase within an old building creates the sense of being stuck in a movie scene with no beginning or end, in a space full of “architectural ghosts.” 

The Freud Museum

Situated in the former London home of the grandfather of psychoanalysis, the nearby Freud Museum has a permanent collection of objects pertinent to his practice and an exciting roster of temporary exhibitions. The museum often brings in contemporary artists to respond to the space, including an iconic 2016 installation by YBA Mark Wallinger, in which the study’s ceiling was installed with mirrors. There is currently an exhibition of paintings and drawings by the psychoanalyst’s grandson Lucien Freud, alongside family photographs, books and letters. Next month the museum opens Freud’s Antiquity: Object, Idea, Desire, exploring how his love of antiquities inspired key concepts and methods in psychoanalysis.  

Queer Britain 

The first dedicated LGBTQ museum in the UK, Queer Britain recently opened in Kings Cross, marking the 50th anniversary of the Pride March. Informative and celebratory, the collection covers 100 years of queer activism and culture and will be regularly updated with new items and exhibitions. Its current display brings together street photography from historical marches, clothing worn by performers including Olly Alexander, and a library featuring Juliet Jacques Trans: A Memoir and Virginia Woolfe’s Orlando. There is also an extensive book and magazine store and a wealth of information on vital moments in queer life, from life-changing political rulings to the public response to the AIDS crisis.

Harlesden High Street 

Situated near Willesden Junction underground, Harlesden High Street is an experimental BIPOC arts space that works closely with the local community. Since opening in late 2018, it has shown a lively selection of exhibitions bringing together wall-based works and paintings with dynamic installations from artists including Hawazin Al-Otaibi, Mattia Guarnera MacCarthy and Ocean Baulcombe-Toppin. The gallery also runs a residency programme for artists of colour to express themselves openly, free from the constraints of the traditional gallery system. Harlesden High Street has recently closed a solo show by Hamed Maiye and will soon publicly announce its next exhibition. 

Pio Abad’s public murals 

Created as part of Brent Biennial in 2020, Pio Abad’s two-part mural on Kilburn High Road explores the history of the area. Remember This House depicts objects from the Brent Museum Archives alongside items that are meaningful to local residents, including a hand-painted Easter egg from Romania, a seashell-embellished Somalian leather bag and an ashtray from the Empire Windrush. The murals weave together the destructive colonial histories that have impacted the area and formed its communities, while offering a personal platform to its residents. The murals were inspired by 16th-century vanitas: still life paintings that addressed the fragility of life, with heavy use of symbolism from objects such as skulls and fruits. As Abad has noted, many of these items would have originated in colonised countries. 

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