May Diary: where to go and what to see this month

May is upon us and we have scoured the internet and our inboxes to compile a list of exhibitions and events that we think will be the most inspiring and thought-provoking this month. Art, photography, design – we’ve got it all and it’s here for your perusal.

Photo London
Somerset House, London, 19 – 22 May 2016 

The London photography fair returns to Somerset House for its second year in May and promises to be bigger and better than before. Bringing together 80 of the world’s leading galleries, the fair aims to harness the city’s creative talent and bring photographers, curators, exhibitors and the public together to celebrate photography. 

Ella Kruglyanskaya
Tate Liverpool, 18 May – 18 September

Latvian artist Ella Kruglyanskaya ’s first museum exhibition opens at Tate Liverpool in May, shining a light on her beautiful paintings and drawings which explore the female form, fashion and textiles.

Olivetti: Beyond Form and Function
ICA, London 25 May – 17 July

Founded as a typewriter manufacturing company by Camillo Olivetti in 1908 in Ivrea, Italy, Olivetti is considered one of the leading manufacturers of the mid-20th Century. Throughout its history the company has worked with the likes of Le Corbusier, Milton Glaser and Ettore Sottsass. This exhibition presents photographs, films and ephemera relating to Olivetti’s graphic and spatial design, as well as architecture.

Block Universe
London 30 May – 5 June 2016

We’re very excited for the return of London-wide performance art festival Block Universe, which takes in venues including the British Museum, ICA, Somerset House and Sadler’s Wells. Running over six days, artists featured include niv Acosta, Alexis Blake (pictured above), Grace Schwindt and Mårten Spångberg. The festival theme for 2016 is Future Perfect, with pieces exploring “expression of self in an increasingly technologically sophisticated society, the construction of identity alongside body enhancement, ageing and immortality,” according to organisers.

Moholy-Nagy: Future Present
Solomon R. Guggeneheim Museum, New York, 27 May – 27 September 2016

This is the first comprehensive retrospective of the work of László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) to appear in the USA in nearly 50 years. The show will provide visitors with the opportunity to examine the career of Moholy-Nagy who was a pioneering painter, photographer, sculptor, graphic designer and influential teacher at the Bauhaus. 

Clerkenwell Design Week
Clerkenwell, London 24-26 May

The three day design festival returns to the streets of Clerkenwell with talks, parties, debates and installations. Now in its seventh year, it is an opportunity to see a new designs from emerging and established brands and, if you are lucky, enjoy a drink in the sun.

Blast Theory and Hydrocracker, Operation Black Antler
Brighton Festival, 7 – 28 May

Immersive theatre and tech pioneers Blast Theory’s new work Operation Black Antler will be performed throughout Brighton Festival and explores at the thorny issues around modern surveillance.

Asya Reznikov: turning life
Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York Until 4 June.

Turning life includes new video sculptures, videos, and photographs by Asya Reznikov, the work of the past six years, during which life changing events took place, providing a new axis around which the artist’s life turns. Drawing inspiration from biblical images by Cranach and the Manet, Reznikov’s work is highly personal and thought provoking.

Kate Bonner: The other side is this side
Luis de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, until May 28

Part photo, part object Kate Bonner’s work explores digital processes in dialogue with sculpture, drawing, painting and collage. Each work is generated using first a constructive, then destructive process that sees the artist cut and fold her creations before digitizing them to create a mash-up of analogue and automated techniques.