Dare we say it but spring certainly does seem to be round the corner, the days are getting slightly longer and everyone is yearning to be in the pub by 4 pm – we’re almost there!

BFI Flare returns
BFI Flare is back for its 39th edition at BFI Southbank, compiling a ten-day programme of the stellar new LGBTQ+ cinema from across the globe. The schedule this year is extensive but a few highlights include screenings of Andrew Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet, Deborah Craig’s documentary honouring the legendary Sally Gearhart and the UK premiere of Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s erotic thriller Night Stage. Outside of the screening rooms, a series of talks with actors, filmmakers and industry experts will keep you occupied while you wait for the next film to start.

BFI Flare runs until 30th March, more info here. 

Nothing Lasts Forever
Widely heralded as one of the most prominent figures of early colour photography in the 1970s and 80s, British photographer Peter Mitchell has chronicled life before his lens for over four decades. A social historian and documentarian, Mitchell’s longstanding connection with Leeds has seen him capture the city and its inhabitants with a distinct familiarity, taking portraits of proud shopkeepers and landlords, back-streets and eerie scarecrows. The Photographers Gallery are honouring Mitchell’s growing legacy and off-beat with a large-scale retrospective, bringing together 40 years’ worth of work to paint a portrait of Leeds up close.

Peter Mitchell: Nothing Lasts Forever runs at The Photographers Gallery until 15th June, more info here. 

40th Anniversary
London’s longest-running art fair and the world’s oldest specialist print fair is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year at Somerset House. This year’s fair will bring together over 40 leading dealers, publishers, and studios including the likes of Tate, White Cube, Hauser & Wirth and RAW Editions. Original prints from world-renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Tracey Emin, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney and Henri Matisse will stand alongside exclusive launches of new editions by Peter Blake, David Shrigley, Gavin Turk, Beatriz Milhazes and Nicole Farhi.

The London Original Print Fair runs at Somerset House until 23rd March, more info here. 

$ID3FA££ $YNDR0M3

Louis Morlæ’s second solo exhibition with Rose Easton has officially opened. The Australian artist is renowned for his striking, unconventional kinetic works that delve into themes of automation and robotics. His latest exhibition, titled $ID3FA££ $YNDR0M3, envisions a world where gravity no longer holds us to the earth. The gallery is filled with sculptures, installations, and interventions, while a new sound piece by Madison Willing intensifies the sense of disorientation, immersing visitors in an unsettling experience of shifting realities.

$ID3FA££ $YNDR0M3 runs at Rose Easton Gallery until April 26th

Wine + small plates
Opening its doors in Stratford Cross at the beginning of the month, Templar is the new wine bar and restaurant from the team behind Stratford’s much-loved Darkhorse. Against the backdrop of mid-century decor inspired by Italian Modernism, the menu focuses on seasonal Italian-inspired sharing plates and low-intervention wines. Keep an eye out for standout dishes such as watermelon radish, taramasalata and focaccia, seabass crudo with Amalfi lemon, 12-hour BBQ lamb shoulder with hispi cabbage and mandarin semifreddo with blood orange and gin jelly to finish.

Templar is located at 5 Redman Place, Stratford Cross, London, E20 1JQ, more info here. 

A lil’ bit of everything
Following the ongoing success of Market Halls out postings in Victoria, Oxford Street, and Canary Wharf, the fourth site has just opened in Paddington Square. The new venue is complete with eight food traders, two bars, and an outdoor terrace, offering dishes from the likes of BAO Night Market, Gopal’s Corner by Roti King, Black Bear Burger, 20ft Fried Chicken and Farm Girl – the perfect spot if you want to please everyone in the friendship group.

Market Halls Paddington is located at 1 Paddington Square, W2 1DL, more info here.