V&A East Museum is now open with an exhibition that has been years in the making.
The Music Is Black: A British Story traces 125 years of Black music in Britain, from the early 20th century to the present day, revealing how Black musicians have shaped Britain’s cultural landscape while influencing music across the world. Bringing together rarely seen objects, personal archives, fashion, photography, film, instruments and extensive material from the BBC Archive, the exhibition examines the people, places and movements behind Britain’s evolving musical identity.
Spanning Jazz, Highlife, Gospel and Reggae through to Lovers Rock, 2 Tone, Jungle, Drum & Bass, UK Garage, Grime and Afrobeats, the exhibition places equal emphasis on internationally recognised artists and the communities that created entirely new genres from Britain’s streets, clubs, pirate radio stations and sound systems.
Rather than presenting a simple chronology, the exhibition moves between recording studios, Carnival processions, record shops, festivals and MC clashes, allowing visitors to experience the environments where Britain’s musical culture was shaped.
At the press preview, ALT spoke with Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, Director of V&A East, about opening the museum with an exhibition centred on Black British music. He described it as an opportunity to tell “our national sound” through multiple perspectives while recognising the creativity, innovation and cultural impact that Black artists have had on Britain for more than a century.
ALT: Gus, it’s so lovely to see you here at V&A East, that opening morning. Can I firstly just get you to introduce yourself with title?
GCH: this museum is the newest in the V&A family, which is, in my mind, the finest museum focused on art and design in the world. And we are coming here to East London of wanting to find ways of delivering to that timeless set of imperatives, but to do it for a younger audience. And so, we’ve created a V&A East which has, as you can see around us, our permanent collection, but they’ve been redisplayed in ways that I hope will inspire a younger audience.
ALT: Can you just talk on how it feels to be here today at the opening, after so many years of getting this project to open?
GCH: This is years, this is years, this project, in the development and delivery. And I am so proud, so delighted to have been a small part of the team that has delivered it. And it’s a glorious space and an incredible collection. But the programme around it and the people that we have employed, that they are the thing that really fills me with pride. Animating these spaces with incredible programme and amazing people is, I think, so important.
And I think we have managed to gather some of the best people in the sector to make that happen. And can you just quickly elaborate, because you talk about the programme, some of the exhibitions here. So, when we open on the 18th, what can people come and see? Well, The Music Is Black is our inaugural exhibition.
125 years of the story of Black British music making. Absolutely incredible, curated by Jacqueline Springer. If you see a single exhibition this year, it should be that.
But also, the representation of our permanent collection here, Why We Make, which brings some of the most exquisite objects in the V&A into a single narrative that tells the story of making and creativity in ways that are very, very affecting and powerful. I mean, I would absolutely recommend it for anyone. And then around our space, we have created a number of art interventions.
Some of the great artists working at this moment have created incredible works, particularly for our space. From outside Thomas J. Price, all the way through the building, all the circulation spaces, right up to a beautiful Carrie Mae Weems film. If you get the chance, that is exquisite.
If you come out of that and you don’t have a tear in your eye, I will want to have words with you. It’s absolutely amazing.
ALT: And just going to finally, obviously, another career defining moment. What are you most proud of along the way and how do these moments sit with you personally?
GCH: I’m proud of so much of what we’ve done here. This is an amazing building, an incredible programme, a wonderful representation of our collections, an amazing team that we have built. But also, around that, you can create a museum, but you want to make sure that not only people are coming, but you are attracting a broad spectrum of different kinds of audience.
And I think we have done that work. We couldn’t have been more robust, more thoughtful in how we have constructed our audience development programmes. I cannot wait for the 18th when we open our doors to see those audiences flood through.
This is a place that is dedicated to young, East London in particular, but to creative practise wherever it comes from. So, I’m hoping that huge numbers of people will come through our doors to enjoy it. Make it yours.
Gus, thank you so much for talking to ALT A REVIEW.
The exhibition reveals stories that have often remained outside mainstream museum collections. Early pioneers including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Winifred Atwell, Emile Ford and Janet Kay sit alongside Joan Armatrading, Eddy Grant, Sade, Soul II Soul, Seal, Massive Attack, Goldie and Tricky, before moving into the work of contemporary artists including Sampha, Little Simz, Kano, Nubya Garcia, Ezra Collective, Shabaka Hutchings and Jorja Smith.
One of its strengths is the breadth of material on display. Musical instruments sit alongside photography, television, fashion, posters, sculpture and film, illustrating how Black British music has continually influenced visual culture, style and public life as much as sound itself.
East London becomes a central character within the exhibition. From Rinse FM and Roll Deep to Metalheadz, Jammer’s Basement, Hackney Carnival and the now-closed Blue Note, the exhibition maps the venues, neighbourhoods and grassroots spaces that transformed local scenes into global movements.
Beyond the galleries, The Music Is Black: A British Story also launches a wider cultural programme across East Bank. Developed with the BBC, Sadler’s Wells East, UAL’s London College of Fashion and UCL East, the season will extend the exhibition through live performance, talks, displays and public events across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
For a museum opening exhibition, the scope is ambitious. More importantly, it acknowledges that Black British music is not a parallel history of Britain. It is British music.
The The Music is Black: A British Story exhibition runs to January 3, 2027. Located at the V&A East Museum (107 Carpenters Rd, London E20 2AR) in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Standard tickets start at £22.50 on weekdays and £24.50 on weekends, with concessions (under 26s, students) from £10. You can book your time slot or learn more via the official V&A Exhibitions page.
