February may be the shortest month of the year, but it packs a hefty punch when it comes to cultural events. Read on for our recommendations, from an exhibition that explores fresh modes of figuration to a talk on building low-carbon structures that can withstand earthquakes and a sneak peek at this year’s Royal Academy Dorfman Award finalists.

Radical Figures: Painting in the New Millennium, Whitechapel Gallery, London
Throughout history the human figure has appeared in art. And yet, since critics pronounced the death of painting in the 1980s, a new generation of artists has been representing it in new and radical ways. For the ten painters featured in this exhibition, which opens at London’s Whitechapel Gallery on 6th February, the body is a means of sharing stories and expressing contemporary concerns, from race and gender to society and politics. Michael Armitage’s rich narratives of social issues in East Africa hang alongside Cecily Brown’s congealed and fragmented figures, Christina Quarles’s shapeshifting nudes and more.

Bill Brandt / Henry Moore, The Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire
Photographer Bill Brandt and sculptor Henry Moore shared an interest in the human body, as well as labour and industry – to name but a few of the subjects that crop up again and again across their work. The pair met during the Second World War, when they depicted civilians sheltering from air raids in London Underground stations, and continued to explore similar themes – whether in drawings, photographs, sculptures or collages. An exhibition opening at The Hepworth Wakefield on 7th February highlights the relationship between the different art forms and includes, among others, Moore’s Reclining Figure sculptures and Brandt’s black-and-white snapshots of coal miners.

Open Source Salon – Bill Amberg, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Somerset
A collaboration between Hauser & Wirth Somerset and its onsite restaurant Roth Bar & Grill, Open Source Salon is a series that welcomes guests to listen to a talk then tuck into some locally-sourced food and drink. On 13th February the guest speaker is designer and craftsman Bill Amberg, who founded Bill Amberg Studio in 1984. Drawing on his knowledge of the history of leather, as well as its chemical properties and sustainability, Amberg will share the ins and outs of using the material in his products, furniture and interiors.

Riba + Vitra Talk: Yasmeen Lari, V&A Dundee, Dundee
Another talk worth earmarking this month comes courtesy of Yasmeen Lari, who in 1963 became the first woman to qualify as an architect in Pakistan. Following the devastating effects of an earthquake that struck the country in 2005, Lari has been devoting her time to developing low-carbon and low-cost structures that can withstand natural disasters. She supplies training to residents in marginalised communities and, so far, more than 45,000 green shelters have been constructed through her programme. On 18th February, she visits the V&A Dundee to talk about her humanitarian work.

Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2020, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Established in the RA’s 250th-anniversary year, the Royal Academy Dorfman Award celebrates new talent in architecture. It’s awarded annually to an individual, practice or collective that is reconsidering what architecture can be while taking into account geographical and socio-political contexts. From 21st February until 4th May, the four finalists will present their work to the public in the RA’s Architecture Studio.

The International Art Fair for Modern Craft & Design: Collect 2020, Somerset House, London
And finally, bringing February to a close in style is this art fair devoted to modern craft and design. More than 40 galleries from around the globe will gather together in Somerset House to present ceramics, glassware, textiles and more created in the past five years by some of the industry’s top artists and designers. Plus, Collect Open presents a dozen new craft-led installations and talks will dive deeper into the world of contemporary craft.