Cosmic Stonehenge secrets, Ai Weiwei looks back, and gay sex 11,000 years ago – the week in art | Art and design | The Guardian — theguardian.com

Exhibition of the week The World of Stonehenge The secrets of Britain’s most renowned Neolithic monument should make for a fascinating show. British Museum, London from 17 February to 17 July. Also showing Louise Bourgeois: The Woven ChildThe revered artist seen from a new perspective, stressing her use of textiles. Hayward Gallery, London, until 15 May.Beatrix Potter: Drawn to NatureNature drawings that reveal the scientific side of Peter Rabbit’s creator, as well her original designs for picture books. V&A, London, from 12 February to 25 September.Ai Weiwei: The Liberty of DoubtFake and real antiquities alongside simulacra of everyday objects by the activist and dissident. Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, from 12 February to 19 June.Ida Applebroog: Right up to Now, 1969-2021A mini-retrospective of this veteran New Yorker’s feminist paintings and cartoons. Hauser and Wirth, Somerset, until 2 May. Image of the week Photograph: Christopher Burke/ShootArt Mobile 1/The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2021Louise Bourgeois’s sewn-together body parts, such as The Good Mother, above, dangle from the ceiling, hang out on stands or have sex in vitrines at the Hayward Gallery in London. They were created in the final decades of the artist’s long career and are provocative, scary and marvellous. Read full review of Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child here. What we learned A 5,000-year-old chalk drum is the “most important prehistoric art find in Britain for a century”A rotting London warehouse has been transformed into a cutting-edge “makerspace”The statue of a 13th-century Jewish businesswoman was unveiled in WinchesterA South Korean academic is reading North Korean sweet wrappers for cluesDamien Hirst is facing plagiarism claim No 16Female photographers are exploring nudity and the feminine gazeKurt Schwitters’ unknown portrait sitter was a German spySad young women are the latest book cover trendGlasgow’s Burrell Collection is reopening after a six-year refurbishmentLife is beautiful in infraredManchester’s new flue is a towering achievement, inspired by Tudor palaces Masterpiece of the week Photograph: Trustees of British MuseumThe Ain Sakhri Lovers, Natufian culture c 9000BC, Ain Sakhri, JordanThis is one of the oldest sculptures of the human figure and may also be the earliest image of gay sex. The two lovers sensually embracing don’t have defined genders, but the fact they both resemble erect penises makes male on male passion a legitimate interpretation - especially in LGBT+ history month. At the very least we might say this ancient marvel of erotic art leaves identities open and possibilities unclosed. It may represent people exploring new ways of life as human society got more complex. Older images of the human form tend to be “Venus” figures that symbolise fertility. The Natufian period was when people were starting to experiment with agriculture and domesticity. In this liberating work of art, sex is depicted not just as a means to reproduce the species, but a form of play – with whomever you love. British Museum, London Don’t forget To follow us on Twitter: @GdnArtandDesign. Sign up to the Art Weekly newsletter If you don’t already receive our regular roundup of art and design news via email, please sign up here. Get in Touch If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com

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