Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition to open at V&A Dundee in 2027
V&A blockbuster Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition coming to V&A Dundee in March 2027
A free display of Scotland’s post-war architecture by acclaimed Modernist architecture photographer Simon Phipps
The V&A Illustration Award winners to be displayed at V&A Dundee for the first time, celebrating the best in contemporary illustration
The new exhibitions join Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery which makes its European debut at V&A Dundee on 26 March 2027 and David Bowie: On Tour on show until 15 February.
V&A Dundee shines a spotlight on animation, illustration, photography and architecture as it announces additions to the 2027 exhibition programme.
The programme includes the V&A’s blockbuster show Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends (19 March 2027).
Coming to Scotland for the first time, Inside Aardman invites visitors to explore the familiar and fantastical worlds of Aardman Animations, including Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep, Morph, and more. This playful and interactive exhibition takes audiences behind the scenes of the making of some of the most well known and loved animated characters of all time.
Dundee, named as the best city in the UK for a Spring Day Out by LNER in 2026, will see Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends open in time for the Easter holidays. The exhibition, designed for the whole family with free entry for under 18s, gives young visitors the opportunity to try their hand at different parts of stop-motion animation. Interactive activities will bring the animation process to life, from idea development and storyboarding to model making, filming and production, and post-production.
The new exhibitions join the European debut of Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery at V&A Dundee which opens on 26 March 2027. David Bowie: On Tour is on at V&A Dundee until 15 February 2027 and is part of the global celebrations to mark what would have been Bowie's 80th birthday on 8 January 2027.
Adding to V&A Dundee’s free offering Brutal Scotland (16 January 2027) takes a closer look at Scotland’s Brutalist buildings through the eye of acclaimed photographer Simon Phipps, and V&A Illustration Awards (13 February 2027) will celebrate the best in illustration across experimental picture books, exhibition posters, 3D installations, animation, photo-collages and cover designs.
Tickets for Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends and Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery go on sale early 2027.
Caroline Grewar, Programme Director, said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends to V&A Dundee. Following its hugely successful run at Young V&A, we can’t wait for audiences in Scotland to discover the extraordinary creativity, craft and humour behind some of Aardman’s best-loved characters. It’s a joyful show for all generations, packed with original models, fascinating behind-the-scenes stories and plenty of opportunities to get creative.
“Aardman is now one of the best loved animation studios in the world, but it began as two young school friends experimenting at the kitchen table. The interactive exhibition is designed for the whole family, and we hope visitors will leave excited and inspired to make and create at home.
“Expanding our free offering, V&A Illustration Awards and Brutal Scotland celebrate design that lives all around us every day. From the design of schools and hospital buildings to illustration on book covers and posters, these displays spotlight the importance of design and creativity in all our lives.”
The V&A Dundee 2027 exhibition programme includes:
David Bowie: On Tour, open until 15 February 2027, Ticketed Part of the 'Bowie80' global celebrations to mark what would have been David Bowie's 80th birthday on 8 January 2027.
Brutal Scotland, 16 January - 21 March 2027, Free A free display on Scotland’s post-war architecture, showcasing photographs by acclaimed photographer of Modernist buildings, Simon Phipps. Selected from Phipps’ extensive photographic series, Brutal Scotland.
Inspired by a photograph he took of the Fulton Building, University of Dundee in 1994, Simon Phipps has been documenting post-war architecture, with a particular interest in Brutalism, for over 30 years.
A bold architectural style characterised by concrete and rigid geometric shapes, Brutalism is loved and loathed in equal measure. From schools to sports grounds, housing, hospitals and places of worship, Brutalist architecture provides a backdrop for many aspects of Scottish daily life. This display of photographs at V&A Dundee will chart some of Scotland’s most notable and, in some cases, underrated Brutalist buildings, encouraging visitors to look more closely at these divisive buildings.
The V&A Dundee display will be accompanied by outdoor displays in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The displays are supported by BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland and Street Level Photoworks, where Simon Phipps had a major solo exhibition in 2026.
V&A Illustration Awards, 13 February - 22 August 2027, Free Winners of the V&A Illustration Awards will be displayed at V&A Dundee for the first time. The display of 2026 Award Winners includes Glasgow-based illustrator Annabel Wright’s poster for The Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow.
The 2026 winners draw on many sources of inspiration and demonstrate the versatility of illustration within experimental picture books, exhibition posters, 3D installations, animation, photo-collages and cover designs.
The V&A Illustration Awards is a free, biennial competition celebrating excellence in illustration and contemporary practice, and judged by a panel of prominent illustrators and industry experts. First established in 1972, the V&A's competition is defined by a focus on the British illustration industry, celebrating artwork made for the UK market by artists from across the globe as well as artwork made by illustrators living in the UK.
The 2026 judging panel included celebrated artist Mick Peter, Professor of Fine Art and Illustration at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee. A new commission by Mick Peter recently opened at V&A Dundee and is open throughout 2027. One of These Doors features playful puns and layers of visual detail, creating a rich landscape of references, humour and unexpected discoveries as you make your way towards the door to the Scottish Design Galleries.
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends, 19 March - 29 August 2027, Ticketed Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends, takes audiences behind the scenes of the making of some of the most well known and loved animated characters of all time.
Coming to Scotland for the first time, the exhibition invites visitors of all ages to explore the familiar and fantastical worlds of Aardman Animations, including Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep, Morph, and more. Interactive activities will bring the animation process to life, from idea development and storyboarding to model making, filming and production, and post-production.
Over 150 objects will be on display, including large-scale models, sets, and storyboards from Aardman’s archives.
The exhibition will include interactive activities for children include storyboarding, designing characters, experimenting with lighting a set, creating Live Action Videos, and ‘touch’ objects, that showcase the techniques, skills, and materials used by Aardman animators and filmmakers.
Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery, 26 March 2027 – 16 January 2028, Ticketed The fascinating story of how jewellery has played an integral role in defining the Vivienne Westwood look is explored in Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery, a major new exhibition making its UK debut at V&A Dundee next year.
From the beginning of her career, Vivienne incorporated jewellery as a powerful and integral part of her designs – to add meaning and give expression to the body. Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery will explore the design language and subversive spirit of the British design house through the prism of jewellery.
The exhibition will offer an immersive look at Vivienne Westwood’s extensive history of jewellery design – encompassing Westwood’s sensibilities for historical reference and culture, past and present. Celebrating Vivienne Westwood’s symbiotic relationship with Scotland, the exhibition at V&A Dundee will also highlight Vivienne’s love of Scottish textiles and culture through a selection of archive looks.
Exhibition created by Vivienne Westwood Ltd and produced by Nomad Exhibitions.
For more information head to www.vam.ac.uk/dundee Members and under 18s go free to V&A Dundee ticketed exhibitions.