The weeks have flown past and our summer outdoor spectacle Dodge crosses the finishing line this Sunday. Tickets are booking up fast, so don't hang about. Our iconic courtyard will then be transformed once more as Photo London approaches, followed by the welcome return of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and a new exhibition We Are History that examines the climate crisis and the legacies of colonialism. Read on to find out more and book tickets for our essential exhibitions and events.
Last chance to smash your summer with our artful dodgems 
There's just a few days left to experience Dodge in our beautiful courtyard and create a special day out for your family and friends. Watch our short film above to see how composer Anna Meredith and designer Yinka Ilori drew upon their childhood imaginations to create Dodge, how they created work during lockdown and sample a flavour of our artful dodgems in technicolour.
It's time to put the pedal to the metal - pre-book your seating booth, indulge in some tasty food and drink offerings from Jimmy Garcia and at regular intervals experience Bumps Per Minute as you race around the track. Don't forget that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12.00 to 15.00 children aged 12 and under can ride the dodgems for free (subject to availability and height restrictions).
UNTIL 22 AUG 2021
EDMOND J. SAFRA FOUNTAIN COURT
BOOKINGS FROM £10.00 (INCLUDES DODGEMS & DRINK)
+ ONE-OFF TRANSACTION FEE OF £1.75 PER ORDER
Photo London
THE UK PHOTOGRAPHY EVENT OF THE YEAR
Photo London is a calendar essential every September, and we're delighted to welcome back the world's most iconic photographers, leading photography galleries and publishers, the most important emerging galleries and talents (exhibiting in the Discovery section) plus a fabulous programme of events. A second wave of ticket releases is selling fast.
Those who are unable to travel can still experience the fair online through Photo London Digital, which will run on artsy.com and photolondon.org from 09–28 September 2021.
08 - 12 SEP 2021
SITE-WIDE, SOMERSET HOUSE
PHOTO LONDON DIGITAL 09 - 28 SEP 2021
photolondon.org and artsy.net
#PhotoLondonFair21
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair tickets are on sale now
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the leading art fair dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, opens at Somerset House for its ninth edition on 16 and 17 October 2021.
Among the exhibitors this year are 20 galleries from Africa, a record number from the continent, and of the 47 leading international galleries, 13 exhibitors will be welcomed to London for the first time. The fair will showcase the work of more than 150 emerging and established artists working in a wide variety of mediums and is accompanied by 1-54 Forum, an extensive programme of artist talks, panels, screenings, performances and readings taking place both on-site and online.
16 & 17 OCT 2021
EAST & WEST WINGS, SOUTH WING FIRST FLOOR
STANDARD £25 / CONCS £10 / U12s FREE
The art of skateboarding
Learn more about the ever-changing world of skateboarding with our free exhibition No Comply: Skate Culture and Community, a collection of stories, memorabilia, films and photographs that explores the impact of skateboard culture in UK cities. We've also commissioned a number of short films, including a partnership with Google Arts and Culture, which you can watch online.
UNTIL 19 SEP 2021
TERRACE ROOMS,
SOUTH WING
FREE - BOOK NOW,
PAY WHAT YOU CAN
We Are History
This new group exhibition offers a different perspective on humanity's impact on the planet by tracing the complex interrelations between today’s climate crisis and legacies of colonialism.
Curated by writer Ekow Eshun, and showcasing photography, prints, textile, installation and video, We Are History presents works which are moving, lyrical and thought-provoking, capturing nature as a place of both beauty and fragility.
16 OCT 2021 - 06 FEB 2022
TERRACE ROOMS,
SOUTH WING
FREE - BOOK NOW,
PAY WHAT YOU CAN
Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules
From October you can step into the pages of a beloved icon of British comics as Beano takes over Somerset House!
Curated by artist and lifelong Beano fan Andy Holden, the exhibition brings you face-to-face with the Beano gang – including Dennis and Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Bananaman and the Bash Street Kids – celebrating Beano's rebellious spirit through original comic artwork and artefacts, plundered from the Beano archive. Alongside will be works from innovative contemporary artists who break rules and push creative boundaries in their own unique and wonderful ways.
