The Aesthetica Art Prize is a celebration of emerging and established artists. The 12 shortlisted works define a new vocabulary for life in the 21st century. 

Drawing on the duo’s ethos of looking beyond expectations, a new book from Phaidon tells the story of Snarkitecture’s rise within the industry.

The April / May edition captures the zeitgeist of our times. We look at how the world is developing and how art and design are commenting on that.

London-based Ming Lu is a multidisciplinary artist who combines contemporary techniques with an examination of social and cultural expectations.

Moving into April, exhibitions reflect on notions of place and time, offering new perspectives on an ever-changing world.

A large scale sculptural installation by Philip K. Smith III in collaboration with COS opens during international design fair Salone del Mobile.

Spiral Scratch, a site-specific public art installation creates a kaleidoscopic arena of colour, line and form.

Addressing issues of exposure, Whitechapel Gallery in partnership with Collezione Maramotti present the annual Max Mara Art Prize for Women.

Bridging the boundaries between art, culture and philosophy, HowTheLightGetsIn Festival makes sense of the world through a diverse progamme.

Michael Pinksy’s innovative Pollution Pods recreate the air in London, Beijing, São Paulo, New Delhi and Tautra, Norway.

Talisman in the Age of Difference at Stephen Friedman Gallery brings together works by artists of African origin and its diaspora.

Foam Talent: New York unites 20 international image-makers, plotting the next chapter for the creation, interaction and circulation of photography.

Darn Thorn’s series, Aggiornamento, offers an idealised, modernist vision of Ireland through the architectural structures of the 1960s.

Doug Aitken’s first video installation in 10 years, New Era, tracks the reflections of Martin Cooper, inventor of the mobile phone.

Daniel Webb collected all the plastic used in a year – around 4500 pieces, of which 93% wass single-use packaging.

Highlighting functionality over complex shapes and unnecessary materials, Embodiment, published by Phaidon examines the portfolio of Naoto Fukasawa.

Antony Gormley is known for an interest in the spatial relationships between human bodies and the surrounding landscape.

Giacomo Infantino’s work uses staged scenes to evoke intimate and personalised narratives. The featured images outline places in Varese.

Future Now provides an imaginative platform for attendees to consider the arts ecosystem within a broader social, political and professional context.

The top picks for 24-25 March engage with art history, reinventing traditional approaches through photography and installation.