'Dumas sees the satyr as a symbol of hopeful ambition and creative freedom, who speaks truth to power. Similar moments of cruelty and abused hierarchy are explored throughout the exhibition, sometimes in connection with specific, horrific historical events. At other times, the artist leaves it to the viewer to interpret possible expressions of pain or viciousness; to distinguish between perpetrator and victim.' — Emily Steer. Read more.

FREE. Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas is at Frith Street Gallery until 16 November 2024. 17–18 Golden Square, London, W1F 9JJ

'Locke reimagines historical objects from the Museum’s collection to throw fresh light on British imperialism. Building on the carnivalesque of his 2022 Tate Britain commission The Procession, a new series titled The Watchers (2024) challenges viewers to reconsider their place within the historical narratives surrounding them, to have a good hard look at history’s complex impact on our present.' — Sammi Gale.

PAID. Hew Locke: what have we here? is at the British Museum until 9 February 2025. Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG

'Just in time for Halloween, The Crossing is dark and grimy, full of figures stuck in limbo. A "New Glasgow Boy" of the 1980s, Ken Currie is new to me at least. His latest exhibition The Crossing is stale and sulphury as spindrift off the North Sea or a fart in a coffin. So wrong it's right, it's a breath of fresh air. He seems to paint only the soft, ruddy faces of pre-industrial, Puritan labourers - them's the rules - and I'm here for it. Iconography recurs throughout - like wooden spoons instead of pocket squares. What could it mean? Died while getting married to a casserole? Blimey! Beware of Famine Horse and Ghost Cod. Feel like I'm cursed now for writing this.' — Sammi Gale.

FREE. Ken Currie: The Crossing is at Flowers Gallery until 16 November 2024. 21 Cork Street, London W1S 3LZ

'Pleasure and pain, ecstasy and sacrifice are all brought together in a holy matrimony, where overcoming disgust, hunger and pain spells freedom.' — Eloise Hendy. Read more.

FREE. Natalia González Martín: Table Manners is at Hannah Barry Gallery until 16 November. 4 Holly Grove, Peckham, London, SE15 5DF

'As the presidential election approaches, A MILLION RABBIT HOLES is an immersive space charged with the tension of the U.S. political landscape. Upon entering the downstairs gallery, visitors encounter a rural woodlot transplanted from upstate New York to Saville Row. The forest scene is mashed up with a plush purple carpet (will it be blue or red? both!) and four brass-plated stencils containing possibly empty, possibly profound, era-defining slogans. We're not out of the woods yet.' — Sammi Gale.

FREE. Rirkrit Tiravanija, A MILLION RABBIT HOLES is at Pilar Corrias until 9th November 2024. 2 Savile Row, London W1S 3PA