LONDON.- The V&A has today announced a £4m funding commitment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform its South Asia Gallery into a globally significant space for one of the world’s most important collections of South Asian art and design. This follows initial development funding of £250,000 awarded in September 2024. 

Made possible by National Lottery players, the redesigned gallery will open in Spring 2028, celebrating the richness, diversity and global impact of South Asian creativity. Rare historic objects—many not seen in public for decades—will be displayed alongside new acquisitions and modern and contemporary works. Fresh research and interpretation will explore the colonial history of the collection and the complex story of how these works of South Asian heritage came to the UK.

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A said: “This remarkable support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund enables us to reimagine the V&A’s South Asia Gallery for the 21st century, and create a vibrant new space where historic masterpieces sit alongside the work of leading contemporary artists, questions of provenance and colonial history are addressed, and where visitors can engage with the rich influence of South Asian culture and creativity.” 

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are proud to be able to support this significant transformation of the South Asia Gallery at V&A South Kensington. The interpretation and display of this globally important collection has been informed by communities from the South Asia diaspora, brings rare items to a wider public, enriching lives and enabling everyone’s heritage to be recognised and shared more widely.  It fits strongly with our vision that that heritage is valued, cared for and sustained for everyone’s future.” 

Last updated more than thirty years ago, the new gallery will feature reimagined displays, new interpretation, and enhanced audio-visual technology to create an accessible and engaging experience for the widest possible audience.

The gallery will be structured around a new narrative exploring South Asian artistic production and its global influence across three broad periods: early and medieval South Asia (ca. 3000 BCE–1500 CE), early modern (ca. 1500–1800 CE), and modern (ca. 1800 CE–present).  

Modern and contemporary South Asian art and design by leading artists and designers will be shown in the gallery for the first time, including contemporary art from Bangladesh and its diaspora, acquired with the support of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF). The Foundation’s support also includes a five-year programme of acquisitions, commissions and curatorial research.

Collection highlights announced today include: 

• A 5m-wide copy of a painting inside the Ajanta caves, depicting the Jataka tales, stories of the previous lives of the Buddha. The original paintings (1st century BCE–5th century CE) are among the oldest surviving artworks in India. The V&A’s copy, commissioned in 1872 and created by students of the Bombay School of Art under John Griffiths, will undergo major conservation at V&A East Storehouse until late summer 2026, where the process will be visible from the Weston Collections Hall. 

• An intricately carved 18th-century ivory domestic shrine in the form of a South Indian temple dedicated to Vishnu, shown reclining on the serpent Ananta. The whole shrine stands on the back of the cosmic tortoise who bears the weight of the universe. 

These highlights will go on display alongside The Kochi Ceiling – a painted and carved 19th century wooden temple ceiling from South India that will be conserved, reconstructed and suspended at height, providing instant and dramatic visual impact. The ceiling has been in storage for over 70 years and was last on display in 1955.

The collection of work from South Asia at the V&A—around 50,000 objects spanning 3000 BCE to today—is one of the most significant and comprehensive in the world. Unrivalled in its range, it contains exceptional works that represent the sophisticated artistic achievements of the region. Its strengths include Mughal court arts, textiles and dress, manuscripts, paintings, sculpture, architecture, arms and armour, Indo-European furniture, and a growing body of modern and contemporary works.

The new gallery is being co-produced with South Asian diasporic communities through co-curation, co-design and co-programming. Ideas and priorities identified through workshops—including shared South Asian identity and the celebration of regional craft—have directly shaped the gallery’s development.

A full programme of activity will accompany the opening, including a launch festival, seasonal celebrations, Friday Late events, and learning activities for families and young audiences.