Events in London
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Talks and discussions
Monday 12 January
* Defence, Power & Public Interest, panel discussion on how defence priorities are set, the human impact of modern conflict, and the balance between hard power, diplomacy, soft power and peacekeeping, 6.15pm, 6.15 – 7.30pm, £16.80, The Conduit, 6 Langley Street WC2H 9JA. Info: The Conduit
* Climate change: Evidence of health impact and developing a climate-resilient future, Bianca Anton, Hannah Marshall, Pierre Masselot, Hugh Sharma Waddington, 5.30 - 6.30pm, LSHTM, Keppel Street WC1E 7HT. Info: LSHTM
Exhibitions
* Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus, how post Second World War “Emergencies” , as they were termed by the UK, shaped Britain, its former territories and the modern world, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ until 29 March. Info: IWM
* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day Nepal and Singapore, the exhibition combines art, science, history, technology and indigenous knowledge to deepen understanding of our relationships with freshwater, free, Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE until 1 February 2026. Info: Wellcome
+ Thirst: an exhibition bridge over troubled water
* Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire & Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art, The Singh Twins examine the global mythologies of plants and the histories of Empire + Flora Indica – work by historical Indian botanical artists, admission with Kew entry fee, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens until 12 April
+ The Singh Twins light up the links between empire and botany
+ The Singh Twins spotlight Kew’s role in the business of Empire
* Mumbai + London: new perspectives on the ancient world, small show focussed on Greek god Dionysius and India’s Vishnu, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 11 January 2026. Info: Exhibition
* Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times In An Instant), Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ cuboid on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is a memorial to trans people worldwide
* Collecting and Empire, trail making connections between archaeology, anthropology and the British Empire, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1. Info: British Museum
* British Library, installation of 6,328 books marks the contributions of migrants to UK, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Info: Installation/ 7887 8888
* African Deeds, showcases a collection that includes diaries, cassette interviews, videos, photos and documents of three generations of family history, inspired by grandfather Thomas’ land title deeds brought from West Africa in 1901, Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Info: BCA
* Target Queen, large-scale commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
* Imaging Peace, outdoor exhibition of global community peace photography projects, part of ‘Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging’, a free programme of arts and ideas at King’s College, Strand, WC2R 2LS. Info: Exhibition
* Kerry James Marshall: The Histories, “the most important artist” in the US, who places the lives of Black Americans front and centre, £23.50-£25.50, Royal Academy, Piccadilly, until 18 January. Info: RA
+ ‘If you say Black, you should see Black’
+ ‘My paintings don’t fit the narrative’: Kerry James Marshall on why he’s depicting black enslavers
* The Presence of Solitude, through film, photography and costume, Taiwanese artist Val Lee explores isolation, solitude and the human connections that may form in these moments, free, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road until 11 January. Info: Hayward
* Nigerian Modernism, Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from British colonial rule in 1960, Tate Modern, Bankside SE1 9TG until 10 May. Info: Tate
* I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies, examination of political dissent and erasure through the idea of collage, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Sunil Gupta, Qualeasha Wood, Jess Atieno, Sheida Soleimani, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA until 21 March. Info: Exhibition
* Parliament of Ghosts, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama repurposes colonial-era furniture and jute sacks alongside newly crafted elements, Ibraaz, 14 Mortimer Street, W1W 7SS, until 15 February. Info: Ibraaz
+ Secret Maps, the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps, £20, British Library, 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB until 18 January. Info: Library
* A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, artists who have shaped the trajectory of Indian Modernism, £17, Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J until 24 February. Info: RA
* The Land Carries, work by three international artists: Ahmed Akasha (UK), Dina Nur Satti (US) and Yasmin Elnour (Bahrain) responding to material in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, 1 - 5pm, Petrie Museum, University College London, Malet Place, WC1E 6BT until 16 May. Info: Sudan exhibition
* Sites of Life, explores how Arab artists imagine and enact life beyond the human, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD until 9 January. Info: Exhibition
* Between the Door and the Dust, Gil Mualem-Doron’s examination of the deliberate destruction of homes and the worlds they sustain, from the 1948 Nakba to the West Bank occupation and the genocide in Gaza, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD until 9 January. Info: P21
from Thursday 15 January
* Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans, a celebration of art and history, £14/ £16, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 25 May. Info: Hawai’i
* Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile, Turkish artist Yusuf Aygeç explores themes of exile, memory and resistance through the symbolic presence of the olive tree, bearing witness to the voice of the Palestinian people, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: P21
Performance
* Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the lives of two US Marines, an Iraqi translator and a Bengal tiger collide, £12 - £57, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ until 31 January. Info: Young Vic
+ ‘Did he who made the lamb, make thee?’ The tiger replies
Thursday 8, Saturday 10 January
* Monkeyface, within the walls of a university bedroom, the title character navigates the euphoric highs and crushing lows of racism, mental health and loneliness, £12, Riverside, 101 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9BN until 10 January. Info: Riverside
from Wednesday 14 January
* The Horse of Jenin, one-man show constructed from the fragments of Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada’s memories, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 22 January. Info: Bush
+ A Palestinian tale - straight from the horse’s mouth
Film
* It Was Just An Accident, Jafar Panahi’s award-winning Iranian black comedy thriller is a powerful indictment of state-sponsored terror and a moving drama of individuals seeking to rebuild their lives after being subject to it, National Film Theatre until 6 January; Curzon Bloomsbury, Cine Lumiere, ICA until 8 January
+ Twice-jailed Panahi spins a moral tale for our authoritarian times
* Animalia,a pregnant woman comes to terms with her in-laws’ privileged status and finds her freedom in this sci-fi tinged film that dissects the hypocrisies of Morocco's moneyed classes, women’s position in Muslim societies and limits of wealth, Barbican, Cine Lumiere, ICA until 7 January
+ A sense of there uncanny makes Morocco uneasy
* Mistress Dispeller, a woman in China hires a professional to go undercover and break up her husband’s affair. Elizabeth Lo's intimate film follows this unfolding family drama from all corners of the love triangle, 8pm, Curzon Bloomsbury until 8 January
* The Six Billion Dollar Man: Julian Assange and the Price of Truth, Curzon Bloomsbury until 8 January
+ ‘I plead guilty to journalism’, says the six billion dollar man
Monday 5 January
* In the Mood for Love, sleek suits and richly colourful dresses help define the beauty and elegance of Wong Kar Wai’s Hong Kong-set masterpiece that has come to be regarded as a defining film of this century, 6pm, National Film Theatre
from Friday 9 January
* Coexistence, My Ass!, comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi uses humour to expose hard truths about the relationship between Israel and Palestine, Curzon Bloomsbury until 15 January
Wednesday 14 January
* London Boys, behind the loud and intimidating motorcycles of the "Bangladeshi Bad Boys" is a group of second-generation Bangladeshi men who find in their bikes a sense of identity and a way to overcome racism + Q&A, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury.
TV and radio
Sunday 4 January
* Profile: Zohran Mamdani, the new New York mayor, who is the son of a migrant from Uganda to the US, 12.15pm, Radio4
Monday 5 January
* Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise, 7pm, BBC4
* More Or Less: The State of the Nation, a look at the numbers - including migration - you need to know in order to understand Britain in 2026, 9am, Radio4
* Human Intelligence, on Karl Marx, 1.45pm, Radio4
* The Smuggler: Omnibus, inquiry into a people smuggler, 9pm, Radio4
Tuesday 6 January
* Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise, central Thailand, 7pm, BBC4
* Crossing Continents, South Africa’s fight against TB, 9pm, Radio4
* More Or Less: The State of the Nation, the numbers you need to know - including migration - to understand Britain in 2026, 9am, Radio4
Wednesday 7 January
* Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise, northern Thailand, 7pm, BBC4
* More Or Less: The State of the Nation, the statistics you need to know - including migration - to understand Britain today, 9am, Radio4
* The Smuggler: Omnibus, inquiry into a people smuggler, 9pm, Radio4
Thursday 8 January
* Earth’s Great Rivers: The Zambezi, 8pm, BBC2
* More Or Less: The State of the Nation, the statistics you need to know - including migration - to understand Britain today, 9am, Radio4
Friday 9 January
* The Old Oak, humane, entertaining drama about the effects of the arrival of a Syrian refugee family in a former mining village in Durham, 11pm, BBC2
* More Or Less: The State of the Nation, the statistics you need to know - including migration - to understand Britain today, 9am, Radio4
Thanks to volunteer Daniel Nelson (editor of Eventslondon.org) for compiling this list.