London events in February

Forget your Dalis and your De Chiricos and your Magrittes, because the Tate is going deep on surrealism, bypassing all the megastars and exploring the outer reaches of the twentieth century's most popular art movement. This show is all about the way surrealism spread from Paris out across the world. So while you've got big names here, the real attraction is seeing what artists in Japan, Argentina, Egypt and Mexico were using surrealism to say. Ceci n'est pas un surrealism exhibition. 

James Abbott McNeill Whistler was one of the most influential artists of the nineteenth century, but he didn't get there alone. Because, as the old saying goes, behind every successful man with a ludicrously long name is a beautiful woman he painted over 70 times. Whistler depicted Joanna Hiffernan over and over again, and this show is all about their personal and professional relationship, especially the way she influenced his career.

Sex work has been a heated topic of debate ever since it has existed: forever. This group show features artists - many of whom have experience of the sex industry - using creative expression to explore the topic, taking in ideas of labour, migration, trans liberation and social justice in the process. 

Are you a fan of Beatrix Potter? Of course you are. You’re only human. Lucky for all of us then, that the artist-writer’s work is coming to the V&A for Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature. Now’s your chance to learn about the beloved children's author and her work as a conservationist at this family-friendly exhibition. Visitors can explore the animals and nature spots that were the inspiration behind her iconic characters and books.

You may have listened to ‘Jamming’ by Bob Marley, but have you ever seen, felt and smelled it? You might soon get your chance at this new immersive exhibition called Bob Marley: One Love Experience, which makes its global debut in London this February. For ten weeks the Saatchi Gallery will play host to the multi-sensory experience where you can expect a whole lot of unseen photography and memorabilia, a giant art installation, and a look at the legendary performer’s lifestyle, influences and passions. 

There's few places in the UK that are more mysterious than Stonehenge. Through fascinating objects such as the 3,600-year-old Nebra Sky Disc, this new exhibition at The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery looks to shed light on the secrets and stories of the iconic landmark – to show that prehistoric Britain was a place of big ideas, as well as big stones.

The second part of British writer-director Joanna Hogg’s moving and masterly autobiographical two-parter about her days as a twenty-something film student opens exactly where the first one ended: just after the death of Anthony (Tom Burke), the boyfriend of Hogg’s alter ego Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne). The Souvenir Part II is equally as honest, searching and inventive as Part I. Grief and pain hang over the whole film. There are many questions left unanswered, and complex feelings of loss and betrayal and certainly a strong lingering bond and affection underpin everything we see in this film. This is a story about the importance of making mistakes, of learning, of pulling yourself up and trying again – whether in love, sex, art or friendship. It’s a delirious ‘making of’ film: the making of an artist and the making of a life in all its messy glory.