Uncommon Ground is the new show at Flowers Gallery, Kingsland Road.  It is a difficult thing the exhibition attempts to do - that is to explore a series of environmental concerns through the work of contemporary photography.  Its success is surprisingly satisfying.  The gallery has always had a reputation for thorough, well-intentioned and aesthetically pleasing displays; this exhibition demonstrates this further.

A wide range of artists are included in this show, including work by photographers and land art practitioners.  Edward Burtynsky, Andrea Galvani, Andy Goldsworthy, Scarlett Hooft Graaafland Nadav Kander, David Spero - and more.  Inspired by the work of Keith Arnatt and Gabriel Orozco, this exhibition explores how the environment intervenes in contemporary photography.  Sometimes, to understand something, it's worth trying to understand its opposite.  Instead of simply photographing nature, this exhibition documents how external elements intrude into environmental landscapes.  These are largely artist interferences.

One of the most rewarding aspects of visiting any of the three Flowers Gallery sites (either in East London, or West, or in Manhattan) is how clearly care has been taken to make a show that actually looks good; that is pleasing to the eye.  This is a sensual show, and it lives up to its objectives in giving the ol' cerebral cortex a thrill as well.  A very worthwhile way to spend some time in Shoreditch.

Uncommon Ground is at Flowers Gallery, 82 Kingsland Road, until 01 September.

There would have been a time when the mere mention of a Chinese artist would have been the precursor to a great shout of 'Who?'  Ai Weiwei changed that.  It is doubtful that there has been a more famous artist in the world ever since the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the world saw his instantly iconic (co-designed with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron) National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest.  Since then, a whirlwind biography records a Turbine Hall commission at Tate Modern in 2010 and the hand painting of some one hundred million sunflower seeds and a series of detentions by the Chinese government.

Despite his high profile media presence over the past four years, this is an interesting film.  Director Alison Klayman is sensitive to the artist, who needs no sensitivity given.  He is strong, controversial and uncompromising.  The film follows Ai as he seeks legal action from an assault on him by the Chinese police, as well as documenting his preparation for the Sao Paolo Biennial and his Tate Modern commission.  We see his home life, and his relationship with his mother and son.

I was hesitant to see this film, feeling a little overkill from the attention that this man gets.  In an interesting response, a sub-theme involves Ai's communication and self-promotion as an important tool for planning his projects and gaining recognition for the harsh repression of civil liberties in China currently.  And this too is a purpose of the film.  And if only for that reason, it is well worth your time.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is on limited release.

Photography exhibitions focussing on images of London have been dime a dozen in recent months.  Notably, on these pages, regular readers would have seen write-ups on shows from The Fitzrovia Photography Prize at Diemar/Noble to Ian Barry's shots of East London in the 1970s at Whitechapel Gallery's This is Whitechapel.  Tate Britain get in on the action now, with their show Another London.  The concept: this is London between the years of 1930 and 1980, as seen through the lens of international photographers.

This large-scale exhibition collects images from some of the world's most well known photographers, personalities who have shaped the way we look at pictures today.  Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bill Brandt, Eve Arnold, Dora Maar, Irving Penn, Robert Frank, and many more.  This is high quality work by artists whose work is instantly evocative and instantly recognisable.

It is not perfect, admittedly.  For example, it is not clear as to why the selection of photographs spans only this mid-century fifty year period.  It was a period of much change for the city: a world war, teddy boys, rock'n'roll and redevelopment, the swinging sixties, punk and the foreshadowing of Thatcherist consumerism.  We do not want for lack of content, and in the end the rationale does not particularly matter.  Ours is a city of great diversity.  It is a city of great welcome, and this is what this exhibition celebrates.  The London as seen by those people who have made it what it is today: migrants, immigrants, itinerant workers and internationals.  Sure, it's a loving lens, but we've all a reason to be proud of this, one of the world's great cities.

Another London is at Tate Britain until 16 September.