Historic work and music from the artist like Stormzy, Benjamin Zephaniah and Little Simz are set to be included in the V&A East's newly announced The Music Is Black exhibition.
The landmark immersive exhibition is set to open in 2025 at the brand new V&A East Museum, East Bank (a new cultural and education destination within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park), and will shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contribution Black British music has made to culture, both at home and abroad.
Spanning 1900 to the present day, The Music Is Black: A British Story will celebrate 125 years of Black music in Britain, taking visitors on a journey into the heart of music making, from Carnival to club nights, through to MC battles, festivals all in celebration of Black excellence, struggle, resilience, and joy.
Expect to see work from early pioneers like Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Winifred Atwell and Janet Kay alongside international hit-makers like the imitable Sade, Goldie and Seal. Nods to modern musical vanguards like Kano, Little Simz, Jorja Smith, Ezra Collective and Stormzy's historic Glastonbury performs will also feature in the exhibit.
In their continued commitment to pushing the musical needle forwards, the 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 as a part of of project. The teaser trailer (longer cuts of the longer form film are set to be released over the coming months ahead of the full release in 2025) features the duo's dynamic collage aesthetic and is a celebration of generations of Black British musical styles.
The inaugural exhibition will kick off a season of collaborative programming across East Bank in 2025. The BBC, Sadlers Wells East, UAL’s London College of Fashion, and UCL East will join V&A East in bringing the themes of The Music Is Black: A British Story to life across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – and beyond – with a series of special activities, events, displays and live performance.
