The V&A has lifted the lid on its 2027 exhibition program, and it’s a properly eclectic spread: a immersive plunge into the music, art and fashion of the 1970s and 80s, a survey of what British artists have done with clay over the past four decades, 400 years of a fabric that scandalised Europe, and a landmark celebration of contemporary South Asian creativity. The line-up spans three sites — V&A South Kensington, V&A East Museum and V&A Dundee.
Punk to Pop — opens March 13, 2027
The year opens at South Kensington with the big one. Punk to Pop (March 13, 2027 – January 2, 2028) re-examines the creative explosion across music, art and fashion from 1972 to 1985 — how the 70s fueled the 80s, and how underground scenes united by a punk DIY attitude built enduring genres and shaped the future of popular culture.
It traces a story through music that begins with the flamboyance of glam rock and disco, goes underground with the emergence of new subcultures, and finishes with a global pop culture primed for the digital age. Expect a cast list that runs from the Sex Pistols to The Slits, The Specials to Joy Division, Wham! to Eurythmics — a generation of self-determined artists responding to austerity, boredom and political turbulence. Across a series of multi-sensory worlds, visitors will encounter around 300 objects, from stage costumes to photography, music videos and designs.
Sculpture in Clay — opens May 29, 2027
Sculpture in Clay: British Ceramics 1985 to Now (May 29, 2027 – February 6, 2028) makes the case for clay — fired or unfired — as an essential and genuinely radical medium for sculpture and installation art. Unfolding across four chrono-thematic sections, and supported throughout by the voices of the artists themselves, it examines how British artists since the mid-1980s have reinterpreted, subverted and challenged conventional ceramic practice. Major installations sit alongside individual pieces from the likes of Jacqueline Poncelet, Antony Gormley, Edmund de Waal, Richard Deacon and Clare Twomey.
Chintz — opens September 18, 2027
The year closes at South Kensington with Chintz (September 18, 2027 – June 4, 2028), a four-century history of the South Indian fabric created by hand-drawing designs onto cotton. Across the 1600s and 1700s, global desire for chintz saw it consumed on every continent and at every level of society, making it one of the most coveted, copied and contentious fabrics in history — loved, hated, banned and continually rediscovered.
The V&A’s angle here is a deliberately radical one: to treat chintz not as a consumer product but as an art form, akin to painting and drawing. Bringing together the museum’s world-class holdings with the exceptional private collection of Karun Thakar, the exhibition sets out to celebrate the South Indian makers of chintz as among the most influential artists in the history of art and design.
South Asia Now — opens April 24, 2027 at V&A East
Over in Stratford, the newest member of the V&A family opens only its second ever exhibition. South Asia Now: Fashion. Art. Design. (April 24, 2027 – January 23, 2028) brings together more than 200 works across art, fashion, architecture and design — the first major international exhibition to showcase the breadth of creativity rooted in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pointedly, it moves beyond the familiar narratives of heritage and craft to present South Asia as one of the world’s most dynamic centers of contemporary creativity. Through rare loans, new commissions and works shown in the UK for the first time, it spotlights designers, architects, makers and artists drawing on shared histories and generational knowledge to respond to the defining challenges of our time.
And in Dundee: Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery
Worth a mention for anyone heading north: Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery makes its UK debut at V&A Dundee (March 26, 2027 – January 1, 2028), exploring how jewelry became integral to defining the Westwood look. It examines the design language and subversive spirit of the house through the prism of jewelry, and celebrates Westwood’s symbiotic relationship with Scotland through a selection of archive looks. Created by Vivienne Westwood Ltd and produced by Nomad Exhibitions.
The 2027 Line-Up at a Glance
- Punk to Pop — V&A South Kensington, March 13, 2027 – January 2, 2028
- Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery — V&A Dundee, March 26, 2027 – January 1, 2028
- South Asia Now: Fashion. Art. Design. — V&A East Museum, April 24, 2027 – January 23, 2028
- Sculpture in Clay — V&A South Kensington, May 29, 2027 – February 6, 2028
- Chintz — V&A South Kensington, September 18, 2027 – June 4, 2028
- Nearest stations: South Kensington for V&A South Kensington; Stratford for V&A East Museum
- More: vam.ac.uk
Image credits: Punk to Pop — promotional poster for Sex Pistols’ single God Save The Queen, 1977, Jamie Reid; artwork Jamie Reid, courtesy Sex Pistols Residuals/Universal Music Group. Wham! — Lin/Gered Mankowitz © Iconic Images. Sculpture in Clay — Jacqueline Poncelet, Object in 3 Parts, 1986 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Monument, Clare Twomey, photo by Andy Paradise. Chintz — Karun Thakar Collection and © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. South Asia Now — © Tavish Gunasena for AMESH.
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