Giulio Paolini, Whitechapel Gallery, London
Paolini’s work samples and splices together multiple ingredients, from canvases and windows, to fragments of statuary and checkerboards. This show traces his trajectory over almost five decades, all the while paying tribute to his lineage by referencing Chardin, Lotto and Velazquez.
Until 14 September www.whitechapelgallery.org/
Bruce McClean, Firstsite, Colchester
This major survey show pays tribute to one of British conceptual art’s major heavyweights. And what a collection it is. 100 works occupy 855 square metres of exhibition space, including sculpture, painting, photography, drawings, ceramics and film.
Until 21 September www.firstsite.uk.net/
William Cobbing: Transactions of the Duddo Field Club, mima, Middlesbrough
If conceptual art is not your thing, stay grounded with this superb show at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. As Lipman artist in residence at Newcastle University, Cobbing has created new works featuring the imprint of letterpress blocks into malleable clay surfaces. The resulting works are as earthy as they come.
Until 30 October www.visitmima.com/
Zeitgeist Summer Exhibition, ASC, London
The sheer number of works featured in this exhibition from the ZAP team of Rosalind Davis and Annabel Tilley has to be seen to be believed. Crammed into a tiny space at ASC Studios in Deptford, South East London, the show mixes established names with lesser known but no less exciting talent. Worth squeezing in.
Until 12 July www.zeitgeistartsprojects.com
Grace Schwindt: Only A Free Individual Can Create A Free Society, Eastside Projects, Birmingham
This new film installation by Grace Schwindt revisits discussions she witnessed as a child surrounded by leftwing individuals in Frankfurt, Germany. The artist delivers an intriguing narrative that questions how freedom was, and is, understood, who has access to it and what political and social structures need to be in place to create a free society.
Until 2 August www.eastsideprojects.org/
Selections chosen by Jack Hutchinson.
