Saturday 18 April 2026 will see the long-awaited opening of V&A East – the East London outpost of South Kensington’s beloved Victoria & Albert museum. Located on the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park in Stratford, and part of a major redevelopment of a neighbourhood now known as East Bank, the museum will open with two permanent galleries and a temporary exhibition dedicated to the evolution of Black music in Britain.
The final piece of a cultural puzzle that has seen institutions including Sadlers Wells, the BBC, and London College of Fashion move into the area, V&A East is housed in an architecturally striking building designed by RIBA gold medal-winning practice O’Donnell + Tuomey. While complemented by the nearby V&A Storehouse, which opened in May 2025, V&A East is much smaller than its West London counterpart and, therefore, has been envisioned with the aim of specifically celebrating the creativity of London and the UK, alongside global makers.
Image: Hufton+Crow
Image: Hufton+Crow
Speaking at a preview event on 15 April, V&A East director, Gus Casely-Hayford, explained that, from the beginning, V&A East was designed an “an institution that was emotionally able to connect with the communities that we serve”, with the team investing heavily in speaking with local schools and organisations to create programming that would enhance access to art and culture in East London.
This effort is reflected in Why We Make, two permanent galleries exploring the motivations, roots and history of human creativity across time periods and cultures. Bringing together more than 500 works spanning art, photography, film, fashion, and design, these objects are curated not by medium or culture but across themes such as religion, activism, healing and identity, exploring the shared human desire to express ourselves and our beliefs through creativity. Among the highlights are Molly Goddard’s famed voluminous Daria dress, alongside fashion pieces by Vivienne Westwood, Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and Alexander McQueen, photography by Jamie Hawkesworth, furniture by Yinka Ilori and dance by Akram Khan.
Why We Make. Image: Hufton+Crow
Why We Make: Image: David Parry/V&A
“We live in an age where… creativity itself is an endangered species,” explains Brendan Cromier, senior curator of exhibitions and special projects. “We’ve got [AI] tools promising that they can do it all for you. We want to re-empower young people to think about creativity as their own personal act. This is not an elitist space that you need to spend a fortune on art school to get into, it’s a space that you can participate in.”
Occupying the entire third floor of the museum is a large-scale space which will be dedicated to major exhibitions, beginning with The Music is Black: A British Story. Tracing 125 years of Black British music, as well as telling the wider story of Black music traditions dating back to the slave trade, this immersive showcase takes viewers inside the story via tracking enabled headsets that play a curated playlist based on your location within the gallery.
Tracing a line from early jazz pioneers and musical legends such as Winifred Atwell and Mamie Smith, through reggae, 2 tone, and lovers rock, to more contemporary garage, rap and grime artists including So Solid Crew, Misteeq, Stormzy, and Little Simz, this comprehensive and impressive exhibition cements V&A East’s position as a new heavyweight on the capital’s cultural landscape.
“V&A East Museum’s focus on creativity for change really speaks to how music and culture can inspire, challenge, and create opportunity,” says ambassador Cat Burns. “It’s about celebrating art, identity, and stories that matter.”
In addition to these exhibition spaces, V&A East has also devised New Work: a rotating twice-yearly programme which will invite artists to make site-specific works in response to a given theme. Debuting around the theme of ‘Making East London’, inaugural pieces have been created by Tania Bruguera, Rene Matić, Justinien Tribillon, Carrie Mae Weems, and Laura Wilso, complemented by further works by Es Devlin, Lawrence Lek and Shahed Saleem at V&A East Storehouse.
A Place Beyond by Thomas J Price
Image: Hufton+Crow
Extending art beyond its walls, visitors arriving to V&A East via its canalside entrance will also be greeted by a major new work by Thomas J Price. This 18ft-tall sculpture, named A Place Beyond, takes the form of a woman holding – but cricually not looking at– a phone. As Casely-Hayford explains, “She’s looking out toward the horizon, full of dreams and hopes. I hope in her you see our communal hopes and dreams, because I hope this is an institution that represents the future of the young.”
Finally, a ground-floor cafe created in partnership with lauded Marylebone restaurant, Jikoni, will offer a taste of Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Nanjuwany’s authentic dishes blending the flavours of Africa, Asia, Britain and the Middle East. Situated along the East Bank canal with views of the London Stadium and wider Olympic Park, expect its al fresco terrace to be one this summer’s hottest dining spots.
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