Image: Conservation inspection being carried out on frieze panel from Kochi ceiling, polychromed wood, Kochi, south-west India, 19th century
Expected to open in 2028, the new gallery will display objects including a restored 19th century wooden temple ceiling
The V&A has secured initial funding for a project to transform its South Asia Gallery.
The £4m new gallery project has initially been granted round one development funding of £250,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund before a decision on the full amount.
The project is expected to open in Spring 2028 and see a full redesign and redisplay of the gallery, “creating a welcoming and visually arresting gallery”, and “[bringing] new transparency to the colonial history” of the collection.
The new gallery will be built around a narrative exploring South Asian artistic production and its influence around the world, divided across three time periods – early and medieval South Asia (ca. 3000 BCE to 1500 CE), early modern (ca. 1500 CE to 1800 CE) and modern (ca. 1800 CE to the present).
Among the objects that will be displayed in the gallery is The Kochi Ceiling – a painted and carved 19th century wooden temple ceiling which has been in storage for over 70 years and was last on display in 1955. It will be conserved, econstructed and suspended at height.
A contemporary artist or designer will then be commissioned to create a series of new panels to fill gaps in the original ceiling.
Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A said: “The collection is one of the most significant of its kind in the Western world and we’re enormously grateful for this grant that will help create a world-leading gallery of South Asian art and design and engage with a new generation of British, global and diasporic communities.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund noted the V&A’s “commitment to consultation and co-working to develop a gallery which reflects the diverse histories and cultures of South Asia. We look forward to working with the team to progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.”
