Critic's choice: Top 5 exhibitions

Yinka Shonibare takes ICA visitors back to the future, the British Museum features photographs from around the globe and Damien Hirst's Collection is on show at the Serpentine...

Alien Nation
ICA, SW1
It's tempting to wonder whether this exhibition wasn't put together for the title alone. A visit won't necessarily persuade you otherwise, despite a respectable line-up of international artists including Yinka Shonibare and Hew Locke. A dozen in all, they've contributed work that draws on sci-fi imagery, generally as a metaphor for our fear of outsider invasion. Along with flying saucers, aliens made from festive baubles, and a 3-D collage-painting, some original film posters will take you back to the future as it looked from the 1950s. (020 7930 3647). Until 14 January.

The Past From Above
British Museum, WC1
Over a 40-year period, Swiss-born photographer Georg Gerster has travelled to 111 countries, capturing some of the world's most interesting archeological sites from above. From ancient Babylonian cities in modernday Iraq to Celtic capitals in Ireland, he's hovered over history, camera at the ready. This lofty perspective reveals not only the sites' fragility, but also the breadth of shared ideas and concerns common to cultures separated by time and space. Not all of the resulting images hold their own as photographs, but it's a trip well worth making. (020 7323 8181). Until 11 February.

Works from Damien Hirst's Collection
Serpentine Gallery, W2
If you were wondering how Damien Hirst has been spending his time and money since bailing out of the London scene, this manic exhibition offers an answer of sorts. Over the years, he's amassed 1,111 artworks, some by pals and contemporaries (he's Sarah Lucas's single biggest collector), some by longerestablishednames like Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. Ultimately, Hirst is hoping to fill his Gloucestershire stately home with his acquisitions and open it to the public, but for now, he's selected around 60 pieces to share with Serpentine Gallerygoers. Notables include Tracey Emin, John Currin and Banksy, and there's a fine Francis Bacon. It feels more like shopping than curating, but perhaps that's in the spirit of the season. (020 7402 6075). Until 28 January.

Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India
Royal Academy, W1
The Cholas ruled Southern India until the 13th century. As patrons, they left a hefty cultural legacy that includes poetry, paintings and music, and a large number of ever-grander temples which would have housed the 40 bronze sculptures on show here. Some date back as far as the ninth century and all were created using the lost wax technique, making each one unique. Fluid-limbed and mischievously sensuous, it's no wonder their Western fans have included Rodin and Brancusi. (020 7300 8000). Until 25 February.

David Smith: Sculptures
Tate Modern, SE1
Born a hundred years ago, American artist David Smith was a pioneering sculptor. His influences included Picasso and Giacometti, yet the blood of his father, an engineer, flowed through his veins, and he grew up fascinated by railway tracks and locomotives. In his teens, he took a job as a welder and riveter in a car factory, forging a respect for steel and iron that would last his career. The monumental metal sculptures that he went on to make pack a surprisingly powerful emotional punch. This impressive exhibition is a timely tribute. (020 7887 8888). Until 21 January.