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Great exhibitions in South Kensington

South Kensington has some great exhibitions to enjoy. Marvel at stunning photography, be inspired by fashion, see one of the world's largest dinosaurs, or explore the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed.

Power Up

27th July 2023- 31st May 2024
10am - 5.30pm
Science Museum
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Immerse yourself in this hands-on gaming zone, featuring the very best video games and consoles from the past 50 years. From Pong to Pacman and Minecraft to Mario, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a retro games fan, a serious gamer or just want to beat your family at Mario Kart.

DIVA

On until 7th April 2024
10am-5:45pm
V&A
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DIVA celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of 'diva' and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.

Thomas J Price at the V&A

Until 27th May
10am-6pm
V&A
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British artist Thomas J Price is celebrated for his arresting yet contemplative sculptures depicting everyday people. This display sets his work in dialogue with the V&A's historic collections.

Injecting Hope: The Race for a Covid 19 Vaccine

30th Nov - 12 May 24
10am - 6pm
Science Museum
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A new free exhibition explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed. See how scientists and researchers adapted to the various challenges of this massive programme.

Engineers

From 23rd June
10am-6pm
Science Museum
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Engineers shape the world that we live in, creating bold, ground-breaking innovations that respond to global challenges and improve billions of lives. But how much do we know about the people behind these innovations?

Turn it Up: The Power of Music

On until 6th May 2024
10am - 6pm
Science Museum
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Why does music have such a hold over us? What is it about music that drives us to create, perform, feel, connect with others? Explore how music shapes our lives in this landmark interactive exhibition at the Science Music - A Perfect Christmas Holiday activity!

Image credit: Naoya Hatakeyama, ‘Blast #5707’, 1998. © Naoya Hatakeyama

Photography Centre

Opens 25th May
V&A
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The Photography Centre is the UK’s largest space dedicated to a permanent photography collection. The newly reopened galleries will showcase the museum’s world-leading holdings and enable visitors to experience photography and its diverse histories in new ways.

Victoria: A Royal Childhood

Wed to Sun
10am-6pm
Kensington Palace
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Discover the story of Princess Victoria, the young girl destined to be queen, in the rooms where she was born and raised at Kensington Palace. Explore how an indulged young princess blossomed into the independent and iconic monarch we remember.

Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery

Opens 3rd Nov
10am-6pm
Science Museum
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Step into the fascinating world of technicians for a peek behind the scenes in the Science Museum's brand new interactive gallery. Experience what it’s like to create visual effects on a blockbuster film set or operate a robot in a manufacturer's workshop,

Cromwell Place - what's on

Daily
Cromwell Place
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Set within five Grade II listed Victorian townhouses in South Kensington, Cromwell Place is one of London’s most exciting arts destinations, offering a year-round programme of diverse exhibitions open to the public across 15 gallery spaces. As a membership organisation and innovative arts hub, it also provides an environment in which galleries, collectors, dealers, curators, and arts professionals can collaborate and flourish together.

Energy: Sparks from the Collection

Until 18th May 2025
10am - 6pm
V&A
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This display shines a light on the diverse kinds of energy in photography, from the hidden processes intrinsic to creating a picture, to the subjects in front of the camera.

Skateboard

On until 2nd June 2024
10am-6pm
Design Museum Kensington
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This new exhibition presents the design evolution of the skateboard from the 1950s to today. The exhibition also hosts a skateboard ramp, which can be booked as an Open Skate session and exhibition ticket combined (for over 15s).

Beguiling Beni: Safflower Red in Japanese Fashion

Until 31st March
10am-5:45pm
V&A
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The Japanese dye 'beni', made from safflower petals, produces red hues and an iridescent green. This display reveals its many uses in fashion, from heel-less shoes by Noritaka Tatehana, to textiles, cosmetics and ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

The Zizi Show

25th May- 20th April 2024
10am-5:45pm
V&A
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The Zizi Show is a deepfake drag cabaret that explores the ethical problems which exist in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The display explores what AI can teach us about drag, and what drag can teach us about A.I.

Leighton and Landscape

16th Nov - 27th April 2025
10am - 5.30pm
Leighton House and Sambourne House Museum
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This first major exhibition of Frederic Leighton’s work, following the reopening of the museum in October 2022, will focus on the artist’s production of small en plein air landscape sketches, created between 1850 up until his death in 1896.

Untold Lives: A Palace at Work

Opens 14th March
10am - 4pm
Kensington Palace
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A new exhibition uncovering the forgotten stories of those who worked at the royal palaces over 300 years ago. They were at the centre of royal life, but little is known about the servants and courtiers who ran royal palaces for centuries.

Fine art Antarctic photography 1910 to 1917

Until 25th March
10am - 5.30pm
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
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Closing soon: View some of the most celebrated images ever taken in the Antarctic. The stunning platinum prints were created from original negatives exposed by Hurley and Ponting in the Antarctic during Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance and Captain Scott’s Terra Nova expeditions.

Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River

16th Nov - 21st Apr
10am - 8pm
Japan House London
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Experience Ainu culture as it exists today in the southern Hokkaido region of Biratori in the UK's first exploration of the contemporary lives of this indigenous people of northern Japan.

Metalworking Now

23rd March - 31st Dec
10am - 5.45pm
V&A
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Contemporary metalworking is a dynamic field and today’s metalsmiths continue a long tradition of experimentation in a range of metals to create exciting and innovative work. This display highlights a selection of work by metalsmiths from across the world that have been collected by the V&A since 2010.

The Ralph Saltzman Prize 2024

2nd Feb - 15th April
10am - 6pm
Design Museum Kensington
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The third year of the Design Musuem's annual prize in partnership with the Saltzman Family Foundation celebrating emerging product designers in recognition of Ralph Saltzman’s design legacy.

Polar Silk Road

Until 24th Nov
10am - 6pm
Natural History Museum
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Gregor Sailer's photography exhibition The Polar Silk Road explores the existing, potential, and unexpected impacts of this new global trade route and documents this fast-changing region at a pivotal moment in its history.

Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre

24th May - 5th Jan
10am - 5.50pm
Natural History Museum
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Just announced! Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre explores the world of birds like never before. From surviving the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs to their remarkable evolution into more than 11,000 species.

Gilbert Bayes Award Winners Exhibition

26th Feb - 25th April
11am - 5pm
The Royal Society of Sculptors
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The Gilbert Bayes Award for early career sculptors is given annually by the Society to a small group of outstandingly talented sculptors.

Everest 1953

12th March
10am - 5pm
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
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To celebrate 20 years of Unlocking the Archives at RGS a new exhibition showcasing outputs from their latest project digitising over 1,800 negatives and slides from this iconic expedition which uncover new perspectives on the legacy of mountaineering on Mount Everest.