Ernesto Neto installation at Hayward Gallery London ”“ Photo: Margherita Antinori

Architectural love or loathing towards the Hayward Gallery’s concrete façade aside, it is what’s inside this Sixties landmark on London’s Southbank complex that attracts the culture crowd into its brutalist core.

Hayward Gallery presents several temporary exhibitions a year across two levels that broadly range from the classics through to the contemporary as well as hosting an annual touring programme of modern and contemporary art from the Arts Council England collection.

Experimental installations by emerging artists are found in the gallery’s Project Space; a glass pavilion designed by American artist Dan Graham in 2003, which provides a light-filled extension to the otherwise solid concrete exterior. A day café and night bar ”“ fittingly named Concrete – runs regular music and DJ sets within an industrial aesthetic looking out onto the River Thames and its neighbouring landmarks.

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery

Hayward Gallery London
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
+44 020 7960 4200

Martin Creed’s kinetic installation at The Hayward London ”“ Photo: Nik Stanbridge

Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre London ”“ Photo: courtesy of the Southbank Centre

Jonathan is our UK-based correspondent covering all eye-pleasing things for Melting Butter’s Arts & Culture pages. Being a contemporary visual artist working in public spaces around the world as well as a freelance culture writer for sites and publications like Ohh Deer and London Calling, Jonathan brings a rare combination of talent from the worlds of editorial, conceptual art, design and lifestyle. Be sure to check his blog and his art practice, which satisfy his hunger for both high and low culture. Follow his tweets too: @JMVELARDIRead about Jonathan’s favourite hotspots here.

(Feature Photo: Hayward Gallery London by George Rex)

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