Massimo Bartolini’s Sparse steps features five monochrome paintings, inspired by Alexander Scriabin’s colour associations with musical notes, which are as much artworks as they are instruments. The perforated surfaces—which the artist refers to as 'mouths'—allow air to pass through, creating the notes. Each sound painting produces a unique chord – B, D, G, B Flat and E Flat – the first five chords of the influential jazz album Giant Steps by John Coltrane.

FREE: Massimo Bartolini: Sparse steps is on view until 8 March 2025. 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

Subject Platter is a modular table designed and made by artist Gary Woodley, painted by Rose Davey, with terracotta stools by Francesca Anfossi. Across four exhibitions, four different artists bring their varied practices to the table. Currently on view are Gabriele Beveridge's tri-coloured glass sculptures.

The table creates a space within a space. It is site specific and occupies the entire gallery at Corner7.

FREE. Subject Platter is at Corner7 until 28th February 2025: Laura White, Table Baroque (now closed); Iain Hales, The Best Leftovers (17th January - 2nd February); Gabriele Beveridge, Bodies (7th - 23rd February; Lisa Milroy, Cloudy, 28th February 2025). Open by appointment Monday – Friday, 12 – 6pm on Saturdays & Sundays. Corner7, 7a Stratford Villas, London NW1 9XJ

Exploring the boundaries between destruction and recreation, Amikam Toren’s Reproduction Paintings—on view as part of Criminal Record—is a striking series that interrogates the nature of artistic reproduction. The process begins with an original (often found) painting, which is stripped from its stretcher and deconstructed. Select fragments—such as the four corners, two pillars, or an entire frame—are salvaged and affixed to a fresh canvas, positioned precisely to outline the dimensions of the lost work. The remainder of the painting is pulped, separating the canvas from the paint. While the canvas is discarded, the paint—now reduced to a monochrome dust—is mixed with a clear binder to create a new ‘mechanical’ paint. This reconstituted pigment is then applied within the boundaries set by the preserved fragments, forming an uncanny yet conceptually rich echo of the destroyed original. Both a meditation on materiality and a radical exploration of replication, Criminal Record challenges the viewer’s perception of authenticity, permanence, and artistic value.

FREE. Anthony Wilkinson Gallery. 44 Lexington Street (Room 2), London W1F OLW. Wed - Sat 11 - 5 pm and by appointment

Cover image: Subject Platter. Photo: Damian Griffiths