From world class exhibitions to free open air cinema, here are five of the best things to do in London this week, May 15 to 21.

 

1 Ai WeiWei: Making Sense exhibition at the Design Museum, Kensington

Created in collaboration with the exiled Chinese artist and architect himself, this exhibition is as meditation on humanity, art and activism. It presents his works on design to reveal our changing values. Ai Weiwei has used a ranges of mediums, from ceramics and paint to readymades, photography and installation to campaign for human rights and speak out about oppression by the Chinese government. This exhibition feature some of his most important works, alongside new commissions and unseen material.

Dates: On until July 30

Tickets: From £16.80, concessions available

Address: 224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington, W8 6AG

Website: designmuseum.org

2 Inside Out at Merchant Square’s Open-air Cinema, Paddington

This year’s season of the Merchant Square Open-Air Cinema starts with Pixar’s Inside Out. Featuring Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling, this animation goes into the mind of Riely, an adolescent girl struggling with some big life changes. Get in early to nab a beanbag or a deckchair, and grab some popcorn and a cocktail from the bar before you settle in.

Date: Thursday, May 18

Time: 6pm

Tickets: Free, no need to book

Address: Merchant Square, Paddington W2 1BF

Website: merchantsquare.co.uk

3 Live Nights at The Lanesborough’s Library Bar, Knightsbridge

Settle into a plush armchair, bask in Regency-style glamour and listen to some soulful live music at this prestigious Hyde Park Corner hotel. A rotation of songbirds join the hotel’s resident pianist James Cheetham, to sing classic jazz hits, and renditions of pop tunes. This week it’s Beth Hare and J Marie by the piano. As you listen, enjoy a lavish and theatrical cocktail or two, or chose a whiskey or cognac from the Library’s extensive list. On weekly, every Tuesday and Wednesday, booking advised.

Dates: Tuesday and Wednesday, May 16 & 17

Address:  Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA

Website: oetkercollection.com

4 Katsu & Buns pop up, Islington

The Asian street food venture has recently taken over The Chapel Bar Terrace in Islington for a pop up that combines Japanese classics with a selection of pan-Asian dishes.  Open on Saturdays, diners are invited to tuck into small plates, pillowy bao buns, burgers and rice dishes, including Korean pork, Peking duck and pumpkin katsu baos to shiitake mushroom teriyaki and chicken katsu and stay buns. If coming for brunch, diners have the opportunity to make theirs bottomless. Find the venue, which is a large, open space place complete with a sun-drenched terrace, just near Angel station.

Dates: Saturdays

Time: 11.30am-7pm

Address: The Chapel Bar, 29 Penton Street, Angel N1 9PX

Website: thechapelbar.co.uk

5 Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope exhibition, Tate Modern

Now’s your last chance to see this collection of bold textile works by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. In the 1960s and 70s she created radical sculptures from woven fibre. They were soft not hard; ambiguous and organic; towering works that hung from the ceiling and pioneered a new form of installation. They became known as the Abakans, and this exhibition presents a rare opportunity to explore this extraordinary body of work, with the most significant pieces brought together in a forest-like display in the Blavatnik Building.

Dates: Until May 21

Tickets: £16

Address: Bankside, SE1 9TG

Website: tate.org.uk