Your privacy

We use cookies to help make our site work properly and to analyze how our site is used. You can view our cookies policy, manage your cookie preferences, or consent and dismiss this banner by clicking agree:

Win Subscribe

Top Five Museums and Exhibitions Combining Science and Art

When science and art meet they can illuminate the other with a light brighter than a thousand bunsen burners

A modern building with a striking, curved roof and large, glass-covered facade. The structure includes red brick and metal elements. In the foreground, a colorful construction fence displays various geometric patterns and slogans. The sky is bright blue with clouds.

The arts and sciences don't have to be in competition: these stunning and informative exhibitions show that when the two disciplines meet they can illuminate the other with a light brighter than a thousand bunsen burners. What's more? Every single one of these museums is free to enter - so you can educate yourself without burning a hole in your pocket - that is, unless you stand too close to those bunsen burners.

Craft and Graft at Francis Crick Institute

Did you know more than a thousand scientists work in the labs at the Francis Crick Institute on biomedical research that could transform lives? For the first time, the questions, experiments and hard work behind the scenes of life-changing research and discoveries will be shown at the Institute. Showing how conundrums like how to feed a million fruit flies are answered, this exhibition will reveal what it’s like in Britain’s biggest lab.

1 March 2019 - 30 November 2019, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1ST

Wellcome Collection

After 12 (twelve!) years on display, the Wellcome Collection’s Medicine Now exhibition, which features work from makers such as Luke Jerram, John Isaacs and Ellie Harrison exploring artistic responses to a range of ideas about science and medicine, will be closing this April, so make sure to put some time aside to explore it one last time before it goes! If you don’t make it in time, a new exhibition with work from Jo Spence and Oreet Ashley exploring the representation of chronic illness and reclaim the idea of ‘misbehaving bodies’ will be open from 9 May.

Science Museum

Of course, the ultimate place to explore science exhibitions in London is our very own Science Museum. The main collection is free to all and the museum is always packed full of fascinating exhibitions. Currently you can explore everything there is to know about that big bright thing we see hanging about in the sky every day in their exhibition The Sun: Living With Our Star, as well as paying a visit to their always awe-inspiring Wonderlab, where you can even take part in live experiments.

genetic automata exhibition at arts catalyst gallery

Image © Arts Catalyst via Facebook

Genetic Automata at Arts Catalyst

Arts Catalyst is a contemporary arts organisation specifically focused towards art and research across science and culture, so it’s definitely the place to come for all your arty, sciency needs. Their current exhibition, Genetic Automata, by Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, explores race and identity in an age of avatars, video games, and DNA Ancestry testing.

24 January - 30 March 2019, Arts Catalyst, 74-76 Cromer Street, London WC1H 8DR

Under The Skin at Royal College of Physicians

Now this exhibition truly takes place at the intersection between science and art: it’s all about the art of illustrating the human body and how it’s been done over the past hundreds of years, especially before modern technology made it easier for us to understand what was underneath our skin and how our bodies work. You can also explore current high-tech solutions to anatomical illustration like MRI scans at the exhibition. It’s sure to leave you marvelling at human innovation and the body itself.

1 February 2019 to 15 March 2019, Royal College of Physicians,11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, NW1 4LE