Diary of a London Art Critic: Diving into art in 2025

The art world awakens

In this post, I summarise every exhibition I’ve seen over the last few weeks, not just those I write about in other publications, and you get my honest thoughts on them.

The year always starts slowly before picking up pace, and this diary entry includes a smattering of exhibitions from across London as I pick off the ones that open early or have been on my long list.

Friday 3 January

I was in town for a lunch meeting so I decided to travel along the river to see a few things that have been on my list for a while.

One of the Angels of History mosaics

Angels of History by Hannah Quinlan & Rosie Hastings is the latest Art on the Underground installation and it can be found above the stairs to the platforms at St. James’s Park station (permanent, free — you don’t have to pass through the ticket barrier to see it). I’ve not been sold on all of their paintings but I like their use of mosaics to depict these androgynous angels watching over the commuters. It feels like an artwork from a previous era — what do you think?

I popped into St Magnus the Martyr church near Monument (open Tuesday - Friday, free) as it’s always been on my list to see the model of the Old London Bridge they have on display — more details on Londonist. It’s a fantastically detailed model, complete with mini people, and it’s in a small but beautiful church so worth popping into if you’re local.

My final stop was at Arebyte Gallery on London City Island, who specialise in digital artwork and they always put maximum effort into their shows — a gallery that should be on your radar if it isn’t already. Dian Joy’s exhibition (now closed) is based on the myth of Alexandria’s Genesis — a rumoured genetic anomaly, transforms people into long-living “perfect human beings” with violet eyes and flawless pale skin, supposedly giving those with the condition strength and vitality. I’d never heard of this debunked theory, yet has gained a lot of traction online. I wasn’t sold on the videos in the show but the concept of how a made-up myth propagates was fascinating.

Saturday 4 January

With Fuchsia at her exhibition opening

Just the one stop on Saturday for the opening of Fuchsia’s exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde’s gallery in Wandsworth (until 8 February, free). Through paintings and sculpture, she creates worlds that could be underwater or on another planet, combining references to historical paintings and a sci-fi feel. They combine the kitsch and surreal and they leave you wanting to dive into the details and figure out the story in each painting.

Below the paywall:

• Giant babies made of marble

• Colourful synthetic hair

• Tons more exhibition openings