The main exhibition hall will present major shows celebrating the leading artists, designers and performers of our time. Two collection galleries will explore global making with new acquisitions, commissions and live activations presented alongside collection displays. The galleries will also include stories of east London's creative and manufacturing heritage, spotlighting local makers past and present alongside a creative studio for both drop-in and pre-booked activities. An installation and events space on the top floor will be the focal point for V&A East's global partnerships programme, hosting interdisciplinary collaborations, new commissions and events.
New acquisitions
New acquisitions destined for V&A East will reflect V&A East's approach to collecting. Acquisitions will tell stories about about contemporary creativity and motivations for making– whether as self-expression, creative experimentation or ways in which art, design and performance responds to broader social, cultural and environmental issues.
Portrait of Melissa Thompson by Nigerian-American artist Kehinde Wiley
Part of Wiley's The Yellow Wallpaper series, this painting represents his ongoing practice, which subverts historic European portraiture traditions, to elevate sitters he encounters on the street. His work aims to challenge perceptions of blackness and raise important questions about race, identity and the politics of representation. This acquisition was made possible thanks to generous support from Art Fund and a legacy donation from Dr Philip da Costa.
Molly Goddard's hot pink Daria dress from her Autumn Winter 2019 collection is a design worn by Beyoncé in her 2020 visual album Black is King. The full-length dress is made of 61 metres of tulle net fabric and was the largest dress that Goddard had ever made at the time of creation. Inspired by baby doll dresses, it is exaggerated in scale, celebrating the power of femininity.
Ten photographic prints by British fashion photographer Jamie Hawkesworth from his 2011 – 2018 series, Preston Bus Station. The series, which builds on Hawkesworth's work as part of his Preston is my Paris project, consists of portraits of passengers passing through the Grade II listed 1960s Brutalist station in Lancashire. The bus station was threatened for demolition but later saved, with Hawkesworth's photographic series forming part of local campaigns. The V&A is the first UK institution to acquire Hawkesworth's work.
