Summer is officially here, bringing with it warmer weather that lends a beguiling quality to every corner of the UK. We hope you’ll be able to take time for a little bit of travel closer to home, especially as there is so much on offer these following months. If you’re on the fence about where to visit in the next two months, we’ve compiled some must-attend art events from across the nation to inspire some noteworthy domestic explorations, from festivities in the capital to the far reaches of the Scottish Isles. Starting with Canada Day celebrations and stretching into late August, we’ve compiled arts and culture events taking place in the UK with a distinctly Canadian flavour. And for those who’ll be off on some excursion outside of the UK, we’ve listed online arts and culture that you can tune into from anywhere.

If you have an event in mind that you think our audiences would be interested to know, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at admin@canadaukfoundation.org or message us via Twitter or Instagram.

Canada Day 2022 at Quebec House, Westerham, Kent

2 and 3 July 2022

If you’re looking for more ways to celebrate Canada Day, even after the 1st of July, head down to Quebec House in Kent on the 2nd and 3rd of July to, where Canadian stories of modern history will be shared, along with live piano and Georgian cuisine. While you’re there, take full advantage of your ticket and explore the childhood Georgian home of General James Wolfe, whose position in the British Army in the 18th century contributed to the shape of Canadian statehood.

Abbas Akhavan, you used to call it blue sometimes, The Third Line (UAE) and Catriona Jeffries (Canada). Image: Keith Hunter

Abbas Akhavan: study for a garden, Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, Scotland.

Until 2 October 2022

In the picturesque surroundings of Mount Stuart House and Gardens, Montreal-based Tehran-born artist Abbas Akhavan shows his first solo exhibition in Scotland with study for a garden. He continues his site-specific works that tap into the tensions and threads of a locality, where his research-based practice negotiates with and becomes inspired by the surroundings in which his art is presented. For this exhibition at Mount Stuart, a 19th-century mansion featuring stunning Victorian and Georgian details and gardens thriving with diverse specimens, various art forms are enlisted across the buildings and grounds. See installations that play with natural materials from around and under the architecture, find video peeking from amongst tropical flora, and multisensory works that play with perception using sound and the colourful characteristics of dichroic film. And while you’re there, soak in the breathtaking views offered by the Firth of Clyde.

Birmingham’s Baton, BOM, Birmingham

Until 27 August

For sports fans and those concerned with environmental justice alike, this newly conceived space is a part of Joy Sticks, an interactive exhibition at Birmingham Open Media where visitors can play their way through each installation. Birmingham’s Baton refers to the Commonwealth Queen’s Baton, which has travelled around the world in a 294-day journey, collecting stories from changemakers across the globe. Included in the exhibition are artworks created using data on air quality across the Common Wealth by Canadian Artist Fezz Stenton.

Mythomania, Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke, Hampshire

23 July - 15 October 2022

Leeds-based Canadian artist Ian Kirkpatrick presents a solo exhibition at the Willis Museum, a museum housed in the former Basingstoke town hall. For this show, Kirkpatrick has produced graphic artworks and sculptures that take on the archetypes of historical mythologies while tackling present-day “myths” such as superheroes and fake news, drawing a line of societal obsessions between disparate eras.

Colloquy, Craft in the Bay, Cardiff

Until 7 August 2022

Talented metalsmiths from across Canada and Wales present their stunning selection of works in Colloquy, a group exhibition that seeks to ignite conversations on this age-old craft that finds within it a remarkable contemporary quality. This is a part of a year-long initiative celebrating Canadian arts and culture across Wales, #CanadaGoesCymru, supported by the High Commission of Canada in the UK and Wales Arts International.

Carly Rae Jepsen at Minneapolis State Theatre. Photograph by Andy Witchger

Carly Rae Jepsen, Bristol and London

9 and 11 July 2022

Canadian pop and folk sensation Carly Rae Jepsen will be gracing the stage at both Bristol Pride and London’s Somerset House this July. Her music has evolved immensely since the days of her breakout hit single Call Me Maybe, which reached number one in 18 countries in 2012, including UK Singles Chart and UK Billboard Hot 100. Catchy as ever, but with a newfound sophistication, this BC-born musician is absolutely worth revisiting.

Yves Lambert Trio, Cecil Sharp House, London

4 August 2022

Yves Lambert is a bona fide icon when it comes to Québécois folk music. For the past 40 years, M. Lambert has been a driving force in giving traditional music the place that it deserves beyond the Québec and Canadian borders. This multi-award-winning musician, who received the Order of Canada earlier this year, will be gracing the stage this summer in London with a show that promises to enthral with his lively charisma and ode to Canadian tradition.

Intervention at HOME, Manchester

Until 23 August 2022

Produced by artist Phil Collins and filmmaker Oleksiy Radynski, along with several other contributors including Canada-based writer and scholar Svitlana Matviyenko, Intervention follows the journey of a statue of Friederich Engels from its original home in Eastern Ukraine to the centre of Manchester. The statue, whose sculptor remains unknown, becomes a vessel through which Ukrainian writers and activists are given a voice, as it comes back to the place that the German philosopher called home for over twenty years. Can’t make it to Manchester? You can watch the included film Ceremony online here.

Art reads and online events

Sobey Prize 2022

The shortlisted artist for the 2022 Sobey Prize was announced earlier this week, and we can’t wait to see what the talented artists will produce for the upcoming exhibition to be held at the Nation Gallery of Canada. Find out about their diverse practices and what to expect, and discover new artists via the Sobey Prize longlist on the National Gallery of Canada’s website.

Virtual National Gallery of Canada

If you’re unable to make it to Ottawa this summer but are still hankering for some quality culture via the National Gallery of Canada, you can see what’s on in the virtual version of the gallery. View collection highlights, get into deep dives about enchanting artworks and more, all from home, or wherever you are. Head to the Virtual National Gallery of Canada here.

The Museum from home, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

The Montreal Museum of Fine Art has an entire Museum from home dedicated to keeping you informed and cultured, through a selection of podcasts, webinars, art therapy sessions and more. While paying the museum a visit in person is preferred, the diversity of their online content is impressive, not to mention entertaining to boot. See what’s on offer from the Museum from Home here.

C Magazine

This is one of my favourite art publications with exclusive Canadian content. Operating out of Toronto, many of their articles, including archival issues, are available to be read online. If you’re looking for insightful reads relating to Canadian visual culture and the arts, this is the one for you. Click here to read.

Canadian Arts and Culture in the UK: Summer Events 2022

Art reads and online events