And just like that, cold weather surrounds us as we gear up for another culture-filled autumn in the UK. October is usually the month when the art world is the busiest, and this year is no exception. Think art fairs, exhibition openings, festivals and lots of performances and concerts for a month buzzing with culture and excitement. If you’re not sure where to go this month, we’ve picked our top choices that promise culture and entertainment, and each of them comes with a good helping of Canadian talent. Read on to plan your autumn season appropriately.

Oneness mural by Shahrzad Ghaffari at Leighton House. Image courtesy of Dirk Linder.

Leighton House re-opening

15 October 2022

Closed for many months following the major Hidden Gem to National Treasure redevelopment project, Leighton House in Holland Park, London is finally reopening on the 15th of October, with a permanent art commission by Vancouver-based Iranian artist Shahrzad Ghaffari. The 11-metre-high mural titled Oneness adorns the walls of Leighton House’s new helical staircase, inspired by the words of the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi to celebrate interstices between cultures that are echoed throughout the building's Arab Hall.

Lawrence Abu Hamdan: 45th Parallel, Spike Island, Bristol

8 October 2022 - 29 January 2023

Head to Spike Island in Bristol to view this thought-provoking and powerful film by joint-Turner Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. Focusing on the Haskell Free Library and Opera House that straddles the Canadian and US border, this 15-minute looped film examines the symbolic and real implications of borders that this unique site arouses. It follows the story of Hernández vs Mesa, a fatal border crossing of a 15-year-old Mexican national who was shot by a US border control officer, who was then acquitted by the Supreme Court, who feared how any other ruling might implicate US drone strikes abroad. Co-commissioned by Spike Island and Mercer Union in Toronto.

Film still, *Brother,* 2022. Guy Godfree.

BFI London Film Festival 2022

In cinemas until 16 October 2022, on BFI Player until 23 October 2022

If you missed the Toronto International Film Festival last month, or if you’re just a film fanatic who wants the best of new films, the BFI London Film Festival is happening both in cinemas across the city and on BFI Player. Included in the line-up this year is Brother (2022), a story about brotherly love in Scarborough, Toronto’s West Indian community. Based on Simon Fraser University Professor David Chariandy’s last novel, this contemporary Canadian film is up for The Best Film Award in LFF’s official competition. Book tickets to Brother here.

Installation view of Journey of the Mind

Journey of the Mind, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

6 - 23 October 2022

Canadian artist Kanwar Singh is presented alongside British animator Christian Wood in this exhibition premised on Sikh teachings and heritage to explore the internal journey of the mind. How can one achieve peacefulness in increasingly troubling minds? Transcending religion and race, this exhibition intends to open up conversations about our shared abilities to be mindful. Can’t make it to Glasgow? You’ll also be able to catch this travelling exhibition in Bristol next month.

London Symphony Orchestra: Samy Moussa’s Crimson, Barbican Centre

27 Oct 2022

Drama and intrigue can be found in the aural delights of this classical concert at the Barbican Centre featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, with Canadian composer and conductor Samy Moussa’s Crimson. As one of the most inspiring artists of his generation, this Moussa represents some of the best of Canadian talent and is not to be missed with his ability to produce sounds both novel and timeless.

Clara Ursitti: Amik, Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art

Until 29 January 2023

Glasgow-based Canadian artist Clara Ursitti uses film, scent and sculpture to explore connections between Scotland and Canada’s fur-trading legacy in this solo presentation. The title of the exhibition, Amik, means “beaver” in Algonquin and is core to the artist’s investigation of bartering systems, colonial relations with land and histories of human, animal, and plant migration. Expect archival research, film and sound work produced whilst on residency in Canada, and a whole tree acting as sculpture to weave together a tale about this unique history.

Belfast Internation Arts Festival 2022

Until 6 November 2022

As the longest-running international arts event in Belfast, this festival makes a visit to the capital of Northern Ireland even more worthwhile. Covering arts of all categories, from theatre performances to literature, this year’s Belfast International Arts Festival has a special focus on artists from Canada. Included in the mix is The Queen in Me, featuring queer interdisciplinary Nikkei-Canadian performer Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 that unveils some of the opera industry’s restrictive takes on race and gender. Other Canadian talents to catch during the festival includes Vivek Shraya in the comedic and bittersweet performance How to Fail as a Popstar and 2021 Sobey Art Award winner Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and Evalyn Parry’s Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools, a conversation and concert in one.

Fierce Festival, Birmingham

11 - 16 October

A celebration of performance, parties, politics and pop in Birmingham and the West Midlands, Fierce Festival offers an incredible diversity of events within the course of a few days. Included in the programme is Canadian singer, performer and choreographer Clara Furey in her production titled Dog Rising.

Scotiabank Giller Prize: 2022 Shortlist

October is the perfect time to cosy up with a hot pot of tea and a good read, which is why the announcement of the Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist for this year couldn’t have come at a better time. If you’re looking to tuck into a good novel by talented Canadian authors, then look no further than the five books shortlisted for this prestigious prize, including Lesser Known Monsters by the 21st Century by Kim Fu, Stray Dogs by Rawi Hage, We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama, The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr and If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga. And if you’re a fast reader with an insatiable thirst for more literature, the long list may be worth a visit as well.

Rafael Payare, director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Payare & Ólafsson, Southbank Centre

28 October 2022

Venezuelan conductor and director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Rafael Payare leads the performance of a classical concert that entwines itself in a history of oppression, despair, and eventual creative liberation.

What's on October 2022: Canadian Culture in the UK