The Facts
On October 29, 2026, Whitechapel Gallery announced a landmark group exhibition, 'Through Holes in the Clouds: Artists and the Postcolonial Imagination', running from March 17 to September 5, 2027. The exhibition takes over all of the gallery's public spaces and features over 80 works by more than 30 artists, including Frank Bowling, Mona Hatoum, Yinka Shonibare, and Ibrahim El-Salahi. It explores the reverberations of British colonialism through the lens of two generations of artists, marking the 80th anniversary of the partition of British India. Works are drawn from regional UK collections as well as international loans.
The Signal
The exhibition continues Whitechapel Gallery's historic commitment to thematic group shows that reframe global cultural narratives, following its 125th anniversary year in 2026. By juxtaposing post-war pioneers of abstraction and figuration with contemporary artists addressing ongoing conflicts and migration, the show positions the postcolonial condition as an active, unresolved force in contemporary art. The accompanying publication with essays by leading scholars underscores the exhibition's academic ambition, aiming to cement the gallery's role as a platform for politically engaged discourse.
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- Artists: Bani Abidi, Dia al-Azzawi, Bashar Alhroub, Taysir Batniji, Zarina Bhimji, Frank Bowling, Clifford Charles, Avtarjeet Dhanjal, Rita Donagh, Rita Duffy, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Catherine Katonoko Gombe, Richard Hamilton, Mona Hatoum, Somnath Hore, Sohrab Hura, Runa Islam, Idris Khan, Moshekwa Langa, Louis Mbughuni, Nasreen Mohamedi, Mohammed Joha, Lucy Skaer, Rosalind Nashashibi, Sam Joseph Ntiro, Huang Yong Ping, Tracey Rose, Mohammed Sami, Larissa Sansour, Moonis Ahmad Shah, Anwar Jalal Shemza, Yinka Shonibare, Lucky Sibiya, F. N. Souza, Michaela Yearwood-Dan, Ala Younis
- People: Gilane Tawadros, Cameron Foote, Hannah Healey, Mahmoud Darwish, Kate Cowcher, Priyamvada Gopal, Hou Hanru
- Galleries: Whitechapel Gallery
- Museums: Whitechapel Gallery
- Locations: London
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