{"id":14464,"date":"2026-04-14T23:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T23:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/14464\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T23:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T23:41:15","slug":"the-new-va-is-opening-in-east-london-heres-everything-you-can-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/14464\/","title":{"rendered":"The new V&A is opening in east London, here\u2019s everything you can expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you love getting lost in the rich culture and history of London\u2019s many wonderful museums and galleries with a coffee in hand, then you are in luck because a new museum is opening in the capital this weekend.<\/p>\n

Many of us have mooched around the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington and marvelled at Tipu\u2019s Tiger during a rainy weekend, and from Saturday, April 18 you can take your family and friends to the highly-anticipated V&A East Museum in the East End to admire a whole new collection of intriguing artefacts and artworks.<\/p>\n

Located in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, the V&A East Museum is set across a bright, spacious five-storey building designed by architects O\u2019Donnell + Tuomey and has been carefully co-created with young people, creatives, and those living, working and studying in east London.<\/p>\n

If you are tempted to see this brand new hub of culture and creativity first hand, here\u2019s what to expect\u2026<\/p>\n

The Music Is Black: A British Story<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Comme des Garcons outfit worn by Little Simz in 2023 will be unveiled at V&A East Museum (David Parry\/PA Media Assignments)<\/p>\n

Flocks of locals and tourists are expected to descend on the new museum\u2019s first landmark multisensory exhibition, The Music Is Black: A British Story, this weekend which takes visitors on a journey of how Black British music has shaped British culture over the last 125 years and its wider impact around the world.<\/p>\n

Joan Armatrading\u2019s childhood guitar, fashion worn by Seal, Sade and Skin, the Comme des Garcons outfit worn by Little Simz in 2023 and Grooverider\u2019s first turntable and newly-acquired photographs by Eddie Otchere are just a few of the exciting items on display.<\/p>\n

The Union flag vest designed by Banksy that English rapper Stormzy wore on the Pyramid Stage during his history-making performance at Glastonbury 2019 is also predicted to be a particularly popular exhibit.<\/p>\n

\"Stormzy<\/p>\n

Stormzy performing on the Pyramid Stage in the Union flag bullet-proof vest (PA)<\/p>\n

Stormzy\u2019s 2019 Glastonbury performance was a defining cultural moment (Yui Mok\/PA)<\/p>\n

Numerous Glastonbury headliners collaborate with designers on custom pieces, but the bespoke bulletproof designed by the world famous anonymous artist had a particularly powerful cultural impact that is commemorated in the The Music Is Black: A British Story exhibition.<\/p>\n

Why We Make galleries<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Historic and contemporary objects including Leigh Bowery ballet costumes and Alexander McQueen fashion at the V&A East Museum (David Parry\/PA Media Assignments)<\/p>\n

Alongside its ever-changing programme of temporary exhibitions, the heart of V&A East Museum will be the Why We Make galleries \u2013 a permanent, free display offering a fresh perspective on contemporary culture through the V&A\u2019s collections.<\/p>\n

Designed by JA_Projects in collaboration with A Practice For Everyday Life, Larry Achiampong, and the V&A East Youth Collective, the galleries encompass more than 500 objects drawn from the museum\u2019s impressive collection of art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion.<\/p>\n

The galleries also attain a series of co-produced projects created with east London-based residents, artists and creatives, including displays by artist and designer Sahra Hersi and Hackney-based photographer Tom Hunter, created in collaboration with the V&A East Youth Collective.<\/p>\n

New Work<\/p>\n

\"Turner<\/p>\n

Turner Prize nominated artist, Rene Matic with her V&A East Museum New Work commission (David Parry\/PA Media Assignments)<\/p>\n

Make sure to put the New Work section, a new twice yearly rotating programme of creative commissions, on your must-visit list if you want to keep your finger on the pulse of the best up-and-coming artists.<\/p>\n

The inaugural edition unveils newly-commissioned works by Turner Prize-nominated Rene Matic, Justinien Tribillon, Carrie Mae Weems, Tania Bruguera and Laura Wilson, on their unique takes of the \u201cMaking East London\u201d theme.<\/p>\n

Dispersal<\/p>\n

Dispersal is an exciting new temporary display which encompasses insightful photographs by Marion Davies and Debra Rapp, who documented the people and workplaces of east London-based labour businesses at threat of closure or relocation due to the development of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 Jikoni<\/p>\n

Every great museum needs an equally great cafe, and V&A East does not disappoint.<\/p>\n

Visitors can relax, rewind and enjoy a coffee in Caf\u00e9 Jikoni, which is an exciting partnership with the restaurant group known for \u201ccooking across borders\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Molly Goddard\u2019s 2019 Daria dress, a design worn by Killing Eve\u2019s Jodie Comer and Beyonce in her 2020 film Black Is King will also be on display at the museum (David Parry\/PA Media Assignments)<\/p>\n

Commenting on the museum\u2019s opening, Gus Casely-Hayford, V&A East director, said: \u201cOver 10 years in the making, we\u2019re delighted to open V&A East Museum, a space created with and for our audiences, including young people and east Londoners, in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cSister site to V&A East Storehouse, it\u2019s part of East Bank and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy. Everyone is welcome at V&A East Museum. From The Music Is Black: A British Story to our Why We Make galleries, New Work commissions and live events and activities, we hope you see yourself, your stories, and experiences represented here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you love getting lost in the rich culture and history of London\u2019s many wonderful museums and galleries…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[6654,3622,6656,6655,27,5995,6653,6657],"class_list":{"0":"post-14464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-british-culture","9":"tag-east-london","10":"tag-east-museum","11":"tag-history-of-london","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-pa","14":"tag-queen-elizabeth-olympic-park","15":"tag-victoria-and-albert-museum"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116405710611048854","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}