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London has never been a city short on entertainment, and the coming weeks are no different. There are some really great exhibitions on the horizon (or running already) that are certainly worth your time. These are not standard brush-and-canvas shows (which just hold zero interest for me) and some of them are completely free of charge. Those with admission fees won’t blow your wallet either though.

Sebastiao Salgado at Hackelbury Art Gallery

• Sebastiao Salgado at Hackelbury Art Gallery
• Hackelbury, 4 Launceston Place, W8 5RL
• Now until March 1st
• Admission Free
• Official Gallery Website

Brazilian economist-turned-photographer Sebastiao Salgado graces London with his “Genesis” collection of photographs at the Hackelbury Art Gallery until this Saturday, January 26th, so you are a little pressed for time if you still want to catch these amazing photographs 1st March, thanks to an extension of the exhibition. Salgado is a documentary-style photographer, famed for striking and impressive black and white images mainly from Africa and South America. “Genesis” has been years in the making, and Salgado describes his project like so:

“I have named this project Genesis because my aim is to return to the beginnings of our planet: to the air, water and fire that gave birth to life.”

No only is this an absolute mammoth photo project, but it is also sadly his last. Just another reason to go. In case you are unfamiliar with his work, here is a taster.

Anthony McCall at Serpentine Gallery

• Anthony McCall at Serpentine Gallery
• Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
• Now until February 3rd
• Admission Free
• Official Gallery Website

I have to be honest, I know very little about Anthony McCall, but when I saw these pictures of what visitors can expect from this exhibition (some have even labelled it cinema) I was sold. McCall paints three dimensional shapes into a haze-filled room, creating fascinating patterns on the walls and floor. The idea behind it is to deconstruct cinema into its basic components: light and time. Judging by the previews, this could be the single best visit you make to a gallery this year.

Prouve’s Maison Tropicale at Tate Modern

• Maison Tropicale at Design Museum
• Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD
• February 5th until April 13th
• Admission ¬£8.50 (entitles to entry to house and exhibition)
• Official Gallery Website

Here is something for the architecture enthusiasts. In the 1950’s Jean Prouve designed a house for use in colonial Africa. The idea was that this construction could be disassembled into its most basic parts, put onto a cargo ship, and rebuilt at it’s destination. The results is a staggering feat of design that really has to be seen. Thanks to some rich hotelier, the house is now in the UK for the first time, on display at the Design Museum at Tate Modern. The house is part of an exhibition of Prouve’s work at the Design Museum, and a ticket entitles you to entry for both.

Andy Warhol: Portraits and Landscapes at Timothy Taylor Gallery

• Andy Warhol: Portraits and Landscapes
• Timothy Taylor Gallery, 15 Carlos Place, London W1K 2EX
• Now until February 29th
• Admission Free (?)
• Official Gallery Website

Any Andy Warhol exhibition should immediately set off all those creative alarm bells in your head, and this one is no different. I’m sure there will be people who will say “Oh Jesus, not this guy again. And this time its just random pictures”. Fair enough, only that the pictures are not random, and it’s not just “this guy”. If you have never been to a Warhol exhibit, go now for bragging rights and to seem cultured in the finer circles of society. Those of you that have already been should appreciate this without me introducing it any further. I will anyways. Portraits and Landscapes is about everything that is boring and repetitious in modern life. Brilliantly, half the pieces are called “Untitled”, so there’s the repetition for ya. Most of these pictures have not been seen before apparently, so head over there.