The British Museum’s Sicily: Culture and Conquest (until 14 August) presents a collection of artefacts that demonstrate the sophistication and expertise of both the invaders and the conquered during the rich and turbulent history of the Mediterranean’s largest island. The show, spanning millennia, highlights two golden ages—the Greek colonisation and the Norman and Hohenstaufen rule—and includes such gems as Frederick the Great’s eagle cameo.
This year’s Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), has been built on the principle of a simple brick wall—made of boxes, or “pultruded fibreglass frames”, according the architects—that has then been unzipped. The structure at the heart of Hyde Park (until 9 October) is as tall as, and frames, the Serpentine Gallery’s spire, and when viewed from different angles can appear almost transparent or completely opaque.
The young British artist Samara Scott’s largest work to date was unveiled this week in Battersea Park (until 25 September). The offsite Pump House Gallery commission, titled Developer, sees the artist create a “liquid painting” in the park’s two Mirror Pools using builder’s tarpaulin, netting, roofing bitumen and industrial dyes usually used to prevent algae blooms from photosynthesising.