Marx, a Picasso- and Braque-obsessed distant cousin of economist-philosopher Karl, became a one-woman British institution, producing everything from printed fashion fabrics to luggage lining, train upholstery, postage stamps and book jackets. This exhibition collects a number of her prints, among them Feline Phantasy (1957, pictured). At Pallant House Gallery from 10 January until 26 February 2012
Photograph: Duncan McNeill
As a timely complement to the grandeur of Anselm Kiefer's installation in south London's White Cube (SE1, until 26 February), this show of works on paper by the influential German artist sets his desolate mythmaking within a Welsh curatorial perspective. Kiefer's aesthetic is an uneasy mix of the constraints of architectural composition and the liberation of organic improvisation, wherein the perils of political systems are alluded to and then eroded by the beautiful mess of nature. At Oriel Mostyn until 11 March 2012 Photograph: PR
A show of mixed and multimedia art curated by artists Camille Le Houezec and Jocelyn Villemont, who have collaborated over the last year under the name of It's Our Playground. And playful the work tends to be, as well as technically diverse, with neo-Dada assemblages of disparate materials being the order of the day. At the Centre for Contemporary Arts until 28 January 2012 Photograph: PR
Sean Scully has been pioneering his earthy-hued abstract paintings for decades. For some, these thickly smeared slabs of pigment are as weighty as a wall of concrete blocks. For others, they're a leaden throwback to when modern art aspired to secular spiritualism. This show, kicking off its international tour in London, focuses on the acrylic, ink, graphite and masking-tape drawings Scully created in the mid-70s, such as Horizontals #5 (1975, above). At Timothy Taylor Gallery, W1, from 13 January until 11 February 2012
Photograph: Michael Bodycomb
Sculptor Shane Waltener will be picking at the connecting threads between weaving and dance this month with an installation at Siobhan Davies Studio that turns the building's entire stairwell into a loom. The opening night will see dancers become human needles, spinning an intricate latticework with rope and interpreting stitching patterns. At Siobhan Davies Studio, SE1, from 12 January until 11 March 2012 Photograph: PR
Terence Conran's achievements are everyday life-changers: he's credited with introducing duvets, French kitchenware and continental cafes to postwar Britain. This show marking his 80th birthday, in the museum Conran founded, puts everything in the context of his work as a designer, including creations such as his matador armchairs, modular shelving and 59th street sofa, with its neat cylindrical cushions. At the Design Museum, SE1, until 4 March 2012 Photograph: Neil Wilder
This annual show of Turner's landscapes is always a cheering toast to the art world's new year. The works were bequeathed to the gallery in 1899 by collector Henry Vaughan, and initially shown in the darker days of January because of the fragility of the watercolour pigment in pieces such as The Piazzetta, Venice (1840, pictured). And so it remains a charming tradition. After all, these paintings glow. At the Scottish National Gallery until 31 January 2012 Photograph: PR
This small Willie Doherty exhibition has several of his haunting still photographs, but the central focus is on two unforgettable videos, Ghost Story (above) and Buried. Doherty traces the Troubles of his native Northern Ireland, revealing the human discord that seems to have seeped even into the country's trees and walls. At Wolverhampton Art Gallery until 28 January 2012 Photograph: PR
