London · United Kingdom
V&A 2027 Exhibitions: South Asian Art, Punk Legacy, and More
London and Dundee venues to host diverse shows spanning fashion, music, and ceramics
South Asia Now: Fashion. Art. Design.
Opening at V&A East in Stratford, London on 24 April 2027, this exhibition will spotlight over 200 works by emerging artists and designers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Highlights include pieces by Sri Lankan designer Amesh Wijesekera and artists Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Gauri Gill, Aisha Khalid, and Munem Wasif. The show builds on the success of The Music is Black: A British Story, which closes on 3 January 2027.
Punk to Pop
At the South Kensington site, Punk to Pop opens on 13 March 2027, revisiting the creative upheaval of 1972–1985. The immersive display will explore how acts like Joy Division, Sex Pistols, and Wham! became cultural icons amid political turbulence. Featuring around 300 objects, including stage costumes and music videos, the exhibition re-examines punk's influence on art, fashion, and identity.
Sculpture in Clay: British Ceramics 1985 to Now
Also at South Kensington, this exhibition (opening 29 May 2027) investigates experimental uses of clay in British sculpture since the mid-1980s. Artists such as Jacqueline Poncelet, Antony Gormley, Edmund de Waal, Richard Deacon, and Clare Twomey will showcase works that challenge traditional ceramic practices.
Chintz
Opening on 18 September 2027, Chintz explores the legacy of the historic South Indian fabric, renowned for its hand-drawn cotton designs. The exhibition reframes chintz as an artistic medium akin to painting, drawing on the V&A's collection and pieces from collector Karun Thakar. It highlights the fabric's cultural and aesthetic significance beyond its commercial history.
Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery
At V&A Dundee, a dedicated show (opening 26 March 2027) celebrates the late designer's integration of jewellery into her punk-influenced fashion. The exhibition, developed by Vivienne Westwood Ltd and Nomad Exhibitions, traces her radical design ethos and ties to Scotland, following a major retrospective held at the V&A in 2004.
These exhibitions reflect the V&A's commitment to connecting local narratives with global perspectives, as noted by director Gus Casely-Hayford: "We're deeply embedded in our communities while maintaining a worldwide outlook."
Galleries mentioned
Museums mentioned
Related reading
Rembrandt Portrait Blocked from Leaving Britain Amid Record Valuation
National treasure designation halts export of seventeenth-century masterpiece
A £71m canvas depicting a wealthy Amsterdam woman receives top-tier heritage protection, sparking renewed debate over museum acquisition funding.
The Real Aladdin: The Story That Belonged to No Country
Aladdin has no Arabic manuscript older than its French translation. Behind the gap stands a young man from Aleppo, catalogued for a century as anonymous.
The most famous "Arabian" tale in the world is missing from the oldest Arabic manuscript of the Thousand and One Nights — because before a French translator wrote it down in Paris, there was no manuscript of it to be missing from.
Piers Secunda Transforms Wartime Soot Into Charcoal Drawings Examining Cultural Erasure
The British artist uses carbon from destroyed Kharkiv structures to document Russia's campaign against Ukrainian heritage
Nature Mote: The Extermination of Ukraine at London's Fitzrovia Gallery pairs charcoal ink-on-paper works with forensic archives to trace state-sponsored cultural violence.