I recently organised a winter exhibition walk to see some free exhibitions with friends and friends of friends.

We met at the Hayward Gallery for a coffee in the upstairs cafe and then saw Val Lee: The Presence of Solitude at Hawyward Gallery. Then we walked along the South Bank to see Gathering Ground at Tate Modern. Finally we walked over the bridge to the Barbican to see Lucy Raven: Rounds.

It seems there are always more things I want to go to and more people I’d like to catch up with than there are hours in the day. As a format the exhibition walk was a nice way to catch up with people I’d like to see more often, to grow connections between them, to see several shows and also to move around (rather than being sedentary or on our screens).

From walking with friends, organising walks with kindredpacket and doing a project on “walking as method” - we’ve found walking can be a good format for hanging out and for people to get to know each other. Especially as those walking can drift between each other and have one-to-one and smaller group conversations within a bigger group, which I always appreciate.

As it has been so cold, walking between these galleries with larger indoor spaces (which can accommodate many people) felt like a good way to warm up together - and a cosy way to wrap up the year before the winter break.

I’m copying below some excerpts from the organising document.

Update: I’ve heard that this exhibition walk format inspired a similar gathering in Barcelona. Happy to hear that it has resonated!

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what is happening?

a winter exhibition walk! 💜

we’ll meet at southbank centre,
then walk to tate, then barbican,
stopping for many drinks and snacks.

all exhibitions are free.

for anyone who can stay later
we can go for drinks/dinner
somewhere near barbican.

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can i bring friends?

yes! you are welcome to bring friends,
loved ones, relations, creatures, etc.

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where and when?

as we don’t know exactly how long things will take,
timings may be a little soft, organic, relational -
and coordinated through the chat!

if you’re joining later - best to message
to check where we are. 🐰

here’s the approximate plan
(though we know things rarely
go exactly according to plan).

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from 1pm - gather at the hayward gallery cafe
for coffee ☕, snacks 🍪, hanging out,
catching up - there is also a toilet here 🚾.

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⁠2pm - visiting Val Lee: The Presence of Solitude at Hayward Gallery (HENI Project Space)

“Take in a multidisciplinary exhibition from Taiwanese artist Val Lee (李奧森), continuing her exploration of isolation, intimacy and hope. The exhibition features new iterations of two existing works: Valley in the Minibus (2024) and The Sorrowful Football Team (2025), which explore the concept of transitory ‘non-spaces’ and political repression in Taiwan during the White Terror respectively.”

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2.45pm
walk to tate (~20-30m) 🦔

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3.15pm
visit to Gathering Ground at Tate Modern (Natalie Bell Building, Level 4)

“Explore the power of art to inspire change in today’s ecological crisis. Bringing together art from across Tate’s Collection, this exhibition highlights the connection between environmental and social justice, inviting us to reimagine our relationships with the natural world and each other. Artists Outi Pieski, Abbas Akhavan, Bruce Conner, Zheng Bo, Gauri Gill & Rajesh Vangad, Edgar Calel and Carolina Caycedo feature, as well as a new commission by Abbas Zahedi. Through their work, these artists honor Indigenous knowledge, nurture queer multispecies relations and document issues such as displacement and destruction of land and waterways.”

⁠3.45pm
tate cafe stop for hanging out,
drinks 🧃, snacks 🍿 and toilet break 🚾.

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4.15pm
walk to barbican (~30-40m)

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⁠5pm
visit to Lucy Raven: Rounds at the Barbican (Curve)

“Journey through landscapes reshaped by extreme force in a new exhibition that brings together film and sculpture by North American artist Lucy Raven. Focusing on the biggest dam removal and river restoration project in US history, Murderers Bar is the final instalment in Raven’s moving image series, The Drumfire. Using aerial and underwater imaging, the camera captures a landscape in flux, following the immense release of water as it carves its own path for the first time in over 100 years. The exhibition also features a new kinetic light sculpture, Hardpan, commissioned in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Echoing Raven’s film work, the sculpture channels the monumental energy of industrial force – though this time, it’s the gallery that’s transformed, and we, the viewers, who feel its impact.”

6pm onwards
hanging out, getting drinks, snacks and maybe dinner nearby

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what should i bring?

some things to bring:

• 🍶 a water bottle,
• 🍇 snacks to eat & share,
• 🧤 warm layers.

we will also stop at cafes along the way. there will be toilets in the cafes/galleries.

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who will join?

please let us know if you can join (and who will be with you) and we will add names below so we can keep track of numbers and who is coming.

feel free to add links you’re happy to share..

if you can add roughly when you’ll arrive / which bits you’ll join for - and whether you’d like to go for dinner - that will help us know who to expect when!