Whitechapel Gallery - Christopher Williams: The Production Line of Happiness, Open Now

A finger poised on a camera – its open back revealing the film roll and mechanism – sets the scene for American artist Christopher Williams' (b.1956) first UK retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery, investigating photography as the defining medium of modernism. More Exhibitions

Exhibition Christopher Williams: The Production Line of Happiness Until 21 June | Free entry Somewhere between a film director, a picture editor and art director, American artist, Christopher Williams'  (b.1956) investigates photography as the defining medium of modernism. More Exhibition A Utopian Stage: Festival of Arts Shiraz-Persepolis Until 4 October | Free entry One of the most adventurous art festivals including the Beatles' muse, sitar player Ravi Shankar and American composer John Cage, alongside Rwandan drummers and Balinese Gamelan musicians and dancers is brought to life in this display of archive film and photographs, original theatre programmes and posters.  More Exhibition Peter Liversidge: Notes on Protesting Until 14 June | Free entry British artist Peter Liversidge works with children from a local school, creating songs, choreography, banners and placards expressing their views on everything from homework to tomatoes and demonstrating the power of collective voice. More Exhibition Artists' Film International: Anatoly Shuravlev, Tran Luong, Vahap Avsar  Until 14 July | Free entry Artists' film and video exploring the theme of conflict, including the work of Russian-born, Berlin-based artist Anatoly Shuravlev, Vietnamese artist Tran Luong and Turkish artist Vahap Avşar. More

Talks and Events Talk: Diedrich Diederichsen: Big Ideas Thursday 14 May, 7pm  Author, music journalist and cultural critic Diedrich Diederichsen discusses artist Christopher Williams' performances. More Talk: Hou Hanru: Exhibition Histories Thursday 21 May, 7pm Curator Hou Hanru in conversation with Afterall’s Lucy Steeds discussing Cities on the Move (1997–2000), co-curated with Hans Ulrich Obrist. More In association with Afterall.  Talk: Performance and Politics Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 May, 11.30-6pm A weekend looking at the history of performance art in London and the UK in the 1970s. With presentations by artists and scholars focusing on the social and political environments of the time.  More Buy Art Andrea Büttner, Untitled, 2015 German artist Andrea Büttner creates this limited edition - exclusively for the Whitechapel Gallery - to accompany her work in the recent exhibition Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915-2015. Own it for £295 (£265.50 for Patrons and Members). Contact More Whitechapel Gallery Café/ Bar Tea/Coffee and Cake for £5 Enjoy a coffee or loose leaf tea with cake for £5. The selection of seasonal cakes includes Chocolate Guinness Cake, Banana, Date and Pecan cake and Carrot cake with a cream cheese ice frosting. Offer valid Tuesdays-Fridays. More