From dawn to dusk, a new exhibition looks at how society and artists have responded to the two most influential bodies that affect us – the sun and the moon.

Filling two floors of the Saatchi Gallery and spread out over nine rooms, from ancient mythologies and early cosmologies to contemporary art and popular culture, the exhibition explores the influence these celestial bodies continue to have on human imagination.

And what they’ve brought together is a huge collection that is as varied as it is substantial. From theatre costumes to Chairman Mao’s book, to monumental sculptures, it’s a heady mix of an exhibition.

The sort of display that’s so wide-ranging that it’ll be difficult not to find something of interest. And what makes it work is not just the variety of art, but also how historical documents and religious antiquities are dotted throughout the contemporary art.

The giant pink hat is a bit odd admittedly – as if the Harry Potter sorting hat has been given a Pride month makeover.

Much better is the steel sun by Sam Riley, made from square sheets of steel, each left outside for a month to age naturally, then assembled to form the sun.

A wall of pop art – in the form of music album covers offers an alternative view of how the sun has featured in art, leading into Tarot and the esoteric. And then filling an entire room is the sun itself – well, Luke Jerram’s version. Take a seat if you want.

Eventually, the sun sets and the exhibition moves into the darkness, lit by the moon, the time of witches and demons, but also decorative moonlight and romance.

However, it does end with a bit of an odd display, a bulb hanging in space, that is umm, what? They should have ended with the sun from the Teletubbies. That would have left everyone smiling.

The last bit aside, it’s one of those large-scale eclectic exhibitions that simply delights for the sheer variety of what’s been brought together. It’s the sort of exhibition I’d put at the top of anyone’s recommended viewing for this summer.

The exhibition, The Sun and the Moon: Art inspired by the celestial, is at the Saatchi Gallery until 8th September 2026.

• Standard Ticket: £20
• Concession: £13
• Family (Two adults + two children): £45
• Child under 6: Free

Details and tickets here.