Conceptual photography gets a sense of humour at Sprüth Magers London

One of the most talked-about London art exhibitions this season, Seriously at Sprüth Magers challenges the long-held idea that conceptual photography must be austere or academic. On view from November 21st, 2025, to January 31st, 2026, the group show brings together more than half a century of works that reveal how wit, satire, and playfulness have always been embedded in conceptual practice.

Presented across multiple floors of the gallery’s London space, the exhibition is curated by Nana Bahlmann and explores how artists have used humour in art as a critical tool—one capable of questioning power, identity, and the construction of images themselves.

Humour in art as a critical strategy

At the heart of Seriously is the idea that humour can be intellectually sharp rather than merely entertaining. The exhibition reframes conceptual photography through irony, parody, and visual jokes, demonstrating how artists from the 1960s to today have used humour to disrupt conventions and engage viewers more directly.

Rather than presenting laughter as an end in itself, the works often employ comedy to expose social codes, gender norms, and the absurdities of everyday life. Feminist conceptual practices from the 1970s sit alongside contemporary works, revealing how humour has long functioned as a form of resistance and critique.

A photography exhibition across media and generations

Although grounded in conceptual photography, Seriously extends beyond still images to include film, print media, and sound-based works. The exhibition unfolds thematically, moving from self-portraiture and role-play to the body in relation to objects and landscapes.

Among the standout projects is Louise Lawler’s Birdcalls, an audio work in which the artist mimics bird sounds while calling out the names of male artists, using absurdity to critique entrenched power structures in art history. Nearby, Martine Syms’ She Mad: The Non-Hero offers a contemporary take on identity and success through a satirical, social-media-inspired video narrative that questions the performance of visibility today.

Photography-based works by Cindy Sherman and Birgit Jürgenssen use exaggerated costumes and visual puns to dismantle stereotypes around femininity, while Thomas Demand’s carefully staged photograph of an everyday object turns banality into a quiet visual joke. Elsewhere, artists such as William Wegman and Keith Arnatt lean into deadpan humour, revealing how minimal gestures can produce sharp conceptual punchlines.

Redefining conceptual photography today

By placing humour at the centre of the conversation, Seriously offers a fresh perspective on conceptual photography as a living, elastic language rather than a fixed historical category. The exhibition suggests that laughter, whether subtle or slapstick, can create space for reflection, critique and imagination.

As part of the wider landscape of London art exhibitions, Seriously stands out for its scale, ambition, and lightness of touch, reminding audiences that even the most rigorous artistic practices can leave room for wit.