Our favourite exhibit to see in London this March

Published on March 1, 2024 at 8:30 am

The V&A has earned its reputation as one of the country’s finest museums, often putting on exciting exhibitions, and their latest one is no different. Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence opens on March 2 and makes for the perfect cultural break in the city this month.

The V&A South Kensington

Focusing on Tropical Modernism, an architectural movement which started in West Africa in the 1940s, the exhibition seamlessly brings together themes of design, independence and modernity. The exhibition’s curator, Christopher Turner, explains that the story of this movement “is one of colonialism and decolonization, politics and power, defiance and independence; it is not just about the past, but also about the present and the future”.

Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, by Fry, Drew & Partners, film still from 'Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence'. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The exhibition features all kinds of works, from sculptures to photographs and drawings. Structured around various themes and time periods, the exhibit takes visitors on a journey through times and spaces, from Ghana to London to India. Visitors also get a glimpse into the various debates that emerged between different modernists, and how their views of the movement differed.

Sick Hagemeyer shop assistant as a seventies icon posing in front of the United Trading Company headquarters, Accra, 1971 . © James Barnor. Courtesy of galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière

The exhibition ends on a more than satisfactory note, presenting a film on the Legacy of Tropical Modernism. The immersive three-screen film shot in Ghana looks at 16 remaining buildings that carry the movement’s legacy and messages into the present day. A truly poignant look at the ongoing impact of a movement at the crossroads of design, politics and architecture.

Community Centre, Accra, 1953. Image courtesy RIBA

The exhibition is on at the V\&A South Kensington, opening on March 2nd. Admission tickets cost £14 (concessions apply). You can find out more about the exhibition on the V\&A website.

Scott House, Accra by Kenneth Scott, film still from 'Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence'. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

by Editorial Team