Art Explora x V&A East

As part of V&A East’s inaugural year, Art Explora is proud to support a landmark partnership with the V&A, aimed at deepening engagement with the arts across East London.

Sharing a mission to create art and culture with and for new audiences, the three-year partnership comprises two programme elements: the annual Art Explora Art Commission (2026 - 2028) and the Art Explora Performing Arts Programme, along with support for the Art Explora Creative Studio at V&A East Storehouse.

The partnership has been specifically structured to invite different communities from V&A East’s surrounding boroughs (Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest) to participate in bold and new contemporary artistic practices, in collaboration with emerging and established artists.

The Art Explora Art Commission at V&A East

The 2024 Turner Prize-winning artistJasleen Kaur, has been chosen for the inaugural Art Explora Art Commission at V&A East. To be unveiled in autumn 2026, Kaur’s work will be taken beyond the walls of the museum and embedded in public spaces surrounding V&A East’s two sites in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, V&A East Museum and V&A East Storehouse.

“I’m really interested in how the city, the neighbourhood, the street, the pavement works. Together with local groups I’ll be producing a series of sculptural and sonic works that intervene in public infrastructure and explore this complicated sense of place.” — Jasleen Kaur, inaugural Art Explora commission holder

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Kaur was one of 34 international artists nominated by cultural leaders and community practitioners working across the four East London boroughs – and ultimately chosen by a final jury that included Justine Simons OBE (Deputy Mayor of London for Culture and Creative Industries), James Lingwood (co-founder, Artangel), Zoé Whitley (art historian and curator), Jeremy Deller (artist), Art Explora Founder Frédéric Jousset, and UK Director Jemima Montagu, alongside V&A East Director Gus Casely-Hayford, V&A East Chief Curator, Brendan Cormier and V&A East Learning & Engagement colleagues.

The Art Explora Performing Arts Programme at V&A East

The Art Explora Performing Arts Programme at V&A East, in partnership with Studio Wayne McGregor, engages 16–18-year-olds from four local further education colleges in East London in a new co-creative dance process responding to objects in the V&A collection. For the inaugural year, young participants will work directly with Studio Wayne McGregor to develop a new performance in response to Picasso’s iconic 1924 painted stage cloth Le Train Bleu currently on display at V&A East Storehouse.

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“We are thrilled to announce a partnership with Art Explora x V&A East to lead the inaugural Performing Arts Programme for young adults. Learning and engagement projects have been central to Studio Wayne McGregor’s philosophy since Sir Wayne McGregor’s work as a dance animateur in East London at the very beginning of his career. We are deeply committed to engaging with the community and championing the next generation of young artists, and we are excited to see how they use this opportunity to hone and develop their individual voices through dance.” — Odette Hughes, Associate Director, Studio Wayne McGregor

The creative development process will culminate in a performance in front of the stage cloth at V&A East Storehouse in February 2026. The programme will support local young people’s creativity and confidence, building connections with local cultural organisations, and increasing knowledge about creative career opportunities.

The Art Explora Creative Studio at V&A East Storehouse

Art Explora also played a vital role in the establishment of V&A East Storehouseby with a significant grant in support of the creation of the Art Explora Creative Studio.

This space has been designed to enable object-based learning and practical making for all visitors to V&A East Storehouse. The studio is fully equipped to accommodate a range of activities from seminars to craft teaching and digital workshops. It can also be combined with the adjacent Foyle Creative Studio for larger public programming activities such as film screenings or seminars.

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