The ICA, located on The Mall, is home to the best new art and culture from the UK and around the world. With their focus on ‘creative adventure’ and ‘art as inspiration’; they showcase contemporary art, film, literature, theatre and music in a youth-friendly, modern setting. The ICA is home to two galleries, two cinemas, a theatre, a bookshop, and a buzzing bar and café. Their programme covers visual and digital art, club nights, film screenings, educational events and more.
One of this summer’s highlights will be the ‘Insider Art’ exhibition, running from July 12 th to September 9th. The ICA will display art created by prisoners, young offenders, people from high-security psychiatric hospitals and secure units, and people on probation. The works are gathered by the Koestler Trust, which supports the creation of art in prisons, and this is the first year that works from their Awards Scheme will be showcased in a major public institution.
The scheme received over 3,000 entries in the art and design categories this year, and the works on display have been hand-picked by Koestler Trust members, artists, authors and ICA staff. All of the work has been produced in the last year and includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics and other media. The exhibition promises to be a truly unique display of hidden talent which might otherwise have gone untapped or unnoticed. Admission is £2 Monday to Friday, and £3 at weekends.
From July 20th, the ICA’s cinema is screening the controversial film ‘Buy It Now’ - a two-part account of a teenage girl’s attempt to sell her virginity on eBay. Directed by Antonio Campos, the first half-hour is filmed as a documentary based on Chelsea Magan’s video diary, in which she hatches the idea in her bedroom, before following the online deal to a hotel room. The second half is a reframed dramatic account of the same events which - as a stand-alone piece - won the Cinefondation prize at the 2005 Cannes film festival. Dark, disturbing and a worrying indicator of a growing sell-everything-you-have culture; ‘Buy It Now’ is guaranteed to make compelling viewing. Tickets are £8 and you can book online or over the phone on 0207 930 3647.
The nearest tube stations are Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross. This is a notoriously busy area so if you need to take a break from the crowds, head for ‘Oxygen‘ – a unique bar on Irving Street, just five minutes from the ICA. The bar is dimly lit and decked out in metal and mirrors for a slick, modern atmosphere; but the star attraction is the menu, which includes canisters of pure oxygen. As the only licensed vendor of oxygen in the UK, the bar gets pretty busy with tourists and locals combining cocktails with O2 before hitting the dance floor. Drinks aren’t cheap but there is a Happy Hour until 8pm from Monday to Friday. For true luxury, enjoy your oxygen chilled and accompanied by champagne – you’ll definitely be back for more.
