Must-see exhibitions for Black History Month

Discover the artists who transformed modern art in Nigeria during the 20th century, both before and after 1960, when the country gained independence from British colonial rule. From El Anatsui to the Zaria Art Society, this era of cultural rebellion saw artists and their networks flourish across the country, merging Nigerian, African and European techniques to create multilayered, energetic works.

Get playful in this interactive and multisensory sci-fi playscape for all ages. Harold Offeh creates socially engaged works of art that explore a range of themes, from pop culture to identity, while examining how politics, class, race and gender structure society. This latest installation continues Offeh's interest with Afrofuturism, joy and play.

Welsh-Ghanaian artist Anya Paintsil examines the pressures Black artists face, while challenging the Eurocentricism of art and art history. Taking inspiration from growing up in North Wales, Fante craft traditions and West African art, Paintsil combines techniques from textile making with afro hair styling to create textural portraits. Further to this, these works highlight the double standard where white artists are historically celebrated for drawing on and romanticising African art, whereas Black artists are often harmfully misinterpreted.

From pub landlords to steelpan band members, hear from the people central to Cambridge's community. In this exhibition, a series of oral histories document and celebrate the lives and experiences of the Windrush Generation in Cambridge, sharing untold stories of the city's Caribbean past.

If you weren't able to get to the ICA's recent exhibition curated by Lubaina Himid, or it has inspired you to see more of her work, then you absolutely cannot miss this exhibition of her paintings and an installation created with Magda Stawarska. These works ask important questions about overlooked life stories, who is excluded from narratives, and what objects we elect to leave behind as mementos.

Powerful portraits of Black Americans and their everyday lives take centre stage in Kerry James Marshall's vivid, joyful paintings. A world-renowned artist, Marshall expands the Western tradition of history painting, creating space for the people and communities who have been excluded from its canvases in the past. Experience 70 of his works that are packed with references to art history, civil rights, comic books, sci-fi, the artist's personal memories, and much more.

Grounded in personal history and storytelling, Nigerian-born London-based artist Tonye Ekine creates narrative paintings that centre and reimagine the ancient Yoruba Ife bronze mask. New works and a sculpture examine the symbolism of a coin, an object of declining contemporary use that highlights how value is attributed and the preservation of histories.

Experience the first major survey of Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke, who moved to Britain in 1954 as part of the Windrush Generation. Over 80 works of art spanning five decades go on display, from his early ceramic works to his later large-scale paintings, addressing issues of history, colonial legacies and cultural identity.

From contemporary cargo ships to historic galleons, Hew Locke's installation recreates a patchwork flotilla of miniature boats to explore themes of trade, migrations and displacement. Different time periods and cultures are represented in each piece, which are crafted from found materials, such as toys, fishing nets and replica medals. Locke is a contemporary artist whose work investigates the language of colonial power, cross-cultural symbols of authority, and how these shift over time.

See portraits of six individuals who lived in Lancaster during the 18th century in this thought-provoking exhibition by Lela Harris, who discovered their stories in church records, adverts for runaways escaping slavery, and family stories. Their portraits, based on Harris's historical research, are hung alongside paintings of individuals who benefitted from slavery, by significant artists of the time including George Romney and Joseph Wright of Derby.

Explore Jamaican identity through the eyes of some of the country's most celebrated contemporary artists – from painters to sculptors, photographers to printmakers. This exhibition spotlights the diverse visual culture that has emerged since Jamaica's independence in 1962.

Immerse yourself in a post-apocalyptic world created by contemporary artist Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. Blending video games with participatory theatre, visitors will consider how divisions in society have real-world impacts in this speculative installation where they can play, pause and connect.