V&A East reveals its first major exhibition celebrating Black British Musicians

The V & A, one of London's (and indeed the world's) most well known art and craft design museums, has opened a new branch of the museum nestled in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in London's newest cultural quarter.

Opened in  Autumn 2023, the V & A East, represents a huge cultural and financial investment in East London, all complete with a swanky new museum building designed by Dublin architects O'Donnell and Tuomey.

The new cultural hub of the East Bank is made up of the V&A East Museum and Storehouse, Sadler’s Wells East, London College of Fashion, UAL, UCL East and the new BBC Music Studios.

East London is known to have a rich history of working class, black and immigrant communities.

In an announcement today, the Victoria & Albert Museum East has revealed their new exhibit is set to be called "The Music Is Black: A British Story", celebrating 125 years of Black music in Britain from Jazz to Reggae, 2 Tone, to Drum & Bass, Trip Hop, to UK Garage, Grime and beyond.

The V&A East Culture Council also launches today with Ambassadors including artist Yinka Shonibare, fashion designer Samuel Ross, and presenter Klaudia Fior.

Tha Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said of the new exhibit: “London is the music capital of the world and at the heart of that success is the incredible contribution of Black British artists. From Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Stormzy, we’ve seen Black musicians inspire and influence our lives".

As part of the exhibition, V&A East has commissioned a new film by Meeks & Frost, the directorial duo behind J Hus, Pa Salieu and Kojey Radical’s music videos – with a new teaser trailer released today which you can watch here: