About V&A East Museum 

At the heart of V&A East Museum will be two free permanent galleries, where you can see over 500 objects from the V&A’s collections spanning art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion.

The galleries are called Why We Make and visitors can explore the most important issues in contemporary culture with displays revealing unexpected connections across time and creative discipline.

Learn more about how we visualise our place in the world with Molly Goddard’s iconic 2020 Daria dress (as worn by Beyoncé) alongside a copy of a 16th century self-portrait by Italian painter Sofonisba Anguissola and Maud Sulter’s 1988 photographic portrait of Lubaina Himid. Or discover stories of trailblazing creatives, like a 17th Century gown by east London textile designer Anna Maria Garthwaite shown next to a 1990 Cut, Slash & Pull ensemble by Vivienne Westwood, as well as Althea McNish’s pioneering fabric designs, which were inspired by her African Caribbean heritage. Other topics include wellbeing, creative communities, social justice and environmental action.

With a number of new acquisitions made to the V&A collection, you’ll be able to see some exciting objects on display for the first time. These include design work by Yasmeen Lari, architectural models by Assemble, and the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh, Jamie Hawkesworth’s Preston Bus Station photographs, Bisila Noha’s sculptural ceramics and one of Yinka Ilori’s early works, his ‘Captain Hook’ armchair (2015), inspired by a school friend and Yoruba parable about destiny and not judging others.

Others include an ensemble by east London-based Irish artist and fashion designer Richard Malone, and an outfit from Lazy Oaf’s recent fashion collaboration with creative King Owusu, whose playful illustrations explore the therapeutic nature of gardening. You can also discover garments by radical design studio and campaigners for planet conscious fashion, VIN + OMI, including eco-textiles made from stinging nettles.

V&A East Museum will open with its first landmark temporary exhibition, The Music Is Black: A British Story. Opening on 18th April 2026, the exhibition will explore how Black British music has shaped British culture from 1900 to the present day and reveal its global impact. Expect to see objects like Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar (going on display for the first time) alongside fashion worn by Little Simz and newly acquired photographs by artists including Jennie Baptiste, Beezer, Dennis Morris, Eddie Otchere, Sam White and more.

The exhibition includes a partnership with BBC Music and kicks off The Music is Black Festival, a series of programming, displays and performances in collaboration with East Bank partners in summer 2026.

V&A East’s new six-monthly rotating creative commissions programme, New Work champions a range of local and global artists, designers and community collaborators who are shaping contemporary culture today. Responding to the theme, Making East London the commissions explore new ideas and pathways for creativity and address the urgent social, cultural, and political issues of our timeand will be displayed across V&A East’s two sites – V&A East Museum and Storehouse.

New Work: Making East London invites artists Tania Bruguera, Es Devlin, Lawrence Lek, Rene Matić, Shahed Saleem, Justinien Tribillon, Carrie Mae Weems, and Laura Wilson to reflect on east London’s layered histories and creative futures. Their works explore east London as a site of global influence, recovery, cross cultural exchange and creative production – drawing on its people, histories, materials, ecosystems, and beyond, to bring new perspectives on the areas surrounding V&A East Museum and Storehouse.

Last but not least, the all important café at V&A East Museum will shaped by a collaboration with Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany, the co-founders of Jikoni. The menu will be inspired by the diverse communities have shaped east London’s incredible food scene – expect global flavours, rotating daily specials, and meal deals for local residents and under-25s. Find out more on our blog post.