5 amazing art shows to see this August

From climate warriors to Constable at his darkest, there’s food for thought in our pick of this month’s top exhibitions 

Raise a Paddle. Image: © Fenton Lutunatabua, a writer, photographer based in Fiji 

1. Turning the tide

An underwater landscape sculpted from single-use plastic bottles, baskets woven from discarded construction waste, and stunning documentary photography of Pacific Island climate warriors all feature in a new show, Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania, opening at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh this month. No one is more alert to the impacts of climate change than those living in regions where sea levels are rising and the waters are clogged with plastic pollution – and this inspiring exhibition welcomes works by Indigenous artists from the Pacific Islands and Australia, actively addressing the climate emergency.

12 August 2023–14 April 2024

nms.ac.uk

John Constable, Weymouth Bay, 1816. Image: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London​

2. Constable gets moody 

Think you know John Constable’s art? The Arc in Winchester invites us to think again about the master of English rural scenery in Constable: The Dark Side. More than 30 works, curated by art historian and Arts Society Lecturer Nicola Moorby, reveal how the artist was drawn to the shadows of the natural world. His fascination with the dramatic interplay between shadow and light can be seen in works such as this, his Weymouth Bay. Painted on the artist’s honeymoon, it’s a deft oil sketch of storm-tossed cloud, which in some ways anticipates the later works of the Impressionists. Don’t miss the final weeks of this dark but curiously illuminating show.

Until 16 August

arcwinchester.org.uk

Wendy Red Star (b.1981), Catalogue Number 1948.102 from the Accession series, 2019. Image: Reproduced by permission of the artist ​

3. Great additions

Head to room 90 at the British Museum this summer to view its latest acquisitions, which range from a 17th-century fresco study by landscape painter Paul Bril to works completed during the pandemic by Cornelia Parker, Yinka Shonibare and Gillian Wearing. More than 100 prints and drawings from Europe, North America and Australasia are on show in New Acquisitions: Paul Bril to Wendy Red Star. The latter is a Native American artist, who in the print series above has fused historic Denver Museum catalogue cards depicting artefacts from Apsáalooke (Crow) culture with her photography of contemporary Crow people using similar items. It’s a vibrant, revivifying celebration of the survival and evolution of Native American creativity.

Until 10 September

britishmuseum.org

Chatsworth House. Image: © Chatsworth House Trust​

4. Grand designs 

No Regency-era tour of Derbyshire and the Peaks was complete without a trip to Chatsworth, and the estate continues to attract visitors drawn by its architecture and artistic collections. This summer, the house and garden are the imposing setting for works by 16 exciting international artists and designers, under the banner Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth. Combining form with function, pieces on display include a lighting installation by Michael Anastassiades, wood and stone benches by Joris Laarman, silverware by Ndidi Ekubia, ceramics by Andile Dyalvane and furniture by Faye Toogood and Joseph Walsh.

Until 1 October

chatsworth.org

Issam Kourbaj, Dark Water, Burning World: 148 Moons and Counting, 2016 ​

5. Words and forms 

‘I did not set out to make a historic piece,’ says Syrian-born, UK-based artist Issam Kourbaj. ‘My job is to remind the world.’ His flotillas of small ‘boats’, fashioned from salvaged bicycle mudguards and peopled with clusters of burnt matches, are movingly evocative of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. They were created as part of his Dark Water, Burning World collaboration with British poet Ruth Padel. This piece features in The Weight of Words at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, a new show exploring the often-fruitful relationship between poetry and sculpture. It also includes new work by Anthony (Vahni) Capildeo, Tim Etchells and Joo Yeon Park.

Until 26 November

henry-moore.org

For more great art shows, see The Arts Society Magazine, available exclusively to members and supporters of The Arts Society (to join, see theartssociety.org/member-benefits). And for our online monthly ‘5 amazing art shows to see’, sign up at theartssociety.org/signup