London Art & Culture Events
NAOMI In Fashion
The first exhibition of its kind exploring the extraordinary career of fashion model Naomi Campbell. Through the work of leading global designers and photographers we celebrate her creative collaborations, activism and far-reaching cultural impact.
The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence
This major exhibition celebrates the extraordinary creative output and internationalist culture of the Golden Age of the Mughal Court (about 1560 – 1660) during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
Breaking Lines
The Estorick Collection starts 2025 by exploring the revolutionary world of experimental poetry. This exhibition focuses on the distinct phases of Futurist poetry and the work of Dom Sylvester Houédard, a master of concrete poetry. It features rare original editions, important manifestos, and contributions to the avant-garde network.
An exhibition celebrating new acquisitions from Jimmy Somerville
In 1984 Jimmy Somerville’s first band, Bronski Beat, released their debut album, The Age of Consent. The album title was a response to the age of consent for gay men which at the time was 21 in the United Kingdom. For heterosexual relationships the age of consent was 16. This exhibition presents a new set of materials donated by Jimmy Somerville to our collection. It includes T-Shirts from the ACT-UP campaign, a customised Levi’s jacket, hand typed lyrics to Bronski Beat track ‘Screaming’ and promotional posters for ‘Smalltown Boy’. In our screening room we are pleased to present the short documentary Why? (2024); a reimagined video for Bronski Beat’s enduring LGBTQ+ anthem, originally released in 1984.
War rugs: Afghanistan's knotted history
Discover how weavers in Afghanistan have recorded the country's turbulent history in traditional rugs in this new display. On 24 December 1979 Soviet troops crossed the border into Afghanistan, beginning a protracted 10-year war. As the country was transformed by conflict, Afghan weavers started to include imagery of modern warfare in their carpets and rugs. Birds were replaced by military helicopters. Guns took the place of flowers. Demons fought alongside tanks. This fusion of traditional crafts with the recording of contemporary history created a new artform: Afghan war rugs.
Future Observatory: Tomorrow's Wardrobe
Tomorrow's Wardrobe brings together a diversity of designers from across the fashion industry who are revolutionising the way we create, make, and wear clothes – including Stella McCartney, Ponda, Ahluwalia, Salomon, Ranra, Phoebe English and Vivobarefoot. The fashion and textile industry is one of the most environmentally damaging design fields at work today. The footprint of our wardrobes extends from textile production in farms and factories to the design process in fashion houses. Though a significant driver of the UK economy, the impact of fashion is felt across the world in the form of material waste, ecological degradation, water pollution, exploitative working conditions and overproduction: annual garment production has doubled since 2000 and is expected to have increased by 60% in 2030. Tomorrow's Wardrobe showcases the urgent research and innovation taking place across the UK to rethink how the world of fashion works. Moving from fabric landscapes to design studios to individual garments, the display presents a future built from both high-tech and low-tech tools: sewing machines, robotic arms, artificial intelligence, digital ids, upcycling, recycling and more.
Enthoven Unboxed: 100 Years of Collecting Performance
Marking 100 years since Gabrielle Enthoven founded the theatre and performance collection at the V&A, this display explores an A–Z of themes to show how performance continues to entertain, provoke and inspire.
