Valerie Mason-John, 1998. Photo by Michele Martinoli
Exhibition

Making a rukus!

Black Queer Histories Through Love and Resistance

11 Oct 2024 - 19 Jan 2025
Pay What You Can
Not suitable for visitors under 16 yrs of age

We want our events to be as accessible as possible, therefore this exhibition is Pay What You Can. We are asking visitors who are able to do so to consider making a donation to support the work of Somerset House.

Opening Hours during 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair

Fri 11 Oct 11.00 - 19.00 (last entry 18.00)
Sat 12 Oct 11.00 - 19.00 (last entry 18.00)
Sun 13 Oct 11.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)

 

General Opening Hours

Monday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)
Tuesday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)
Wednesday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 19.00)
Thursday 12.00 - 21.00 (last entry 20.00)
Friday 12.00 - 21.00 (last entry 20.00)
Saturday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)
Sunday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)

Seasonal Opening Hours

As above except:

Tue 24 Dec. 10.00 - 16.00 (last entry 15.00
Wed 25 Dec, Closed
Thu 26 Dec, Closed
Tue 31 Dec, 10.00 - 16.00 (last entry 15.00
Wed 01 Jan, Closed
 

Terrace Rooms
& Courtyard Rooms
South Wing

An exhibition exploring the joy, friendship, resistance and art of Black LGBTQIA+ people in Britain.

The brand-new exhibition, curated by artist, filmmaker and co-founder of rukus! federation, Topher Campbell, explores Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans creativity, activism, community and pride through archive materials, contemporary artworks and brand-new commissions, celebrating the work of Black LGBTQ+ pioneers and artists since the 1970s. The exhibition demonstrates that the rukus! archive, which takes its inspiration from causing a ruckus, or making a noise, is not a work of static historical documentation, but an ongoing and vital series of political and artistic interventions that bears witness to the joy, friendship, resistance, and creative endeavours of Black LGBTQ+ people in Britain.

Artist, performer and former Somerset House Studios associate artist Evan Ifekoya has been commissioned to present a restaging of a body of work - A Score, A Groove, A Phantom, A rukus! - an interactive installation to create an immersive club-like space for visitors to explore.

The exhibition is accompanied by a public programme of talks, tours, and events, alongside a brand-new film commission.

Throughout the run of the exhibition, we will fly a rukus! flag, designed by multidisciplinary artist Jacob V Joyce, symbolising the ongoing impact and legacy of the rukus! Federation.

Special thanks to The London Archives for their generous support on lending archival material from the rukus! Federation Limited.  

GENERAL VISITOR INFORMATION

Content Guidance: This exhibition addresses important issues around sensual identities and lived experience. Content includes and references: nudity, strong language, HIV, discrimination, and sexually explicit imagery.

The exhibition is not suitable for visitors under 16 years of age. If you require any further information, please speak to a member of the Visitor Experience team.
 

Opening Hours during 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair

Thu 10 Oct 11.00 - 19.00 (last entry 18.00)
Fri 11 Oct 11.00 - 19.00 (last entry 18.00)
Sat 12 Oct 11.00 - 19.00 (last entry 18.00)
Sun 13 Oct 11.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)


General Opening Hours

Monday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)
Tuesday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)
Wednesday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 19.00)
Thursday 12.00 - 21.00 (last entry 20.00)
Friday 12.00 - 21.00 (last entry 20.00)
Saturday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)
Sunday 10.00 - 18.00 (last entry 17.00)


Seasonal Opening Hours

As above except:

Tue 24 Dec 10.00 - 16.00 (last entry 15.00)
Wed 25 Dec CLOSED
Thu 26 Dec CLOSED
Tue 31 Dec 10.00 - 16.00 (last entry 15.00)
Wed 01 Jan CLOSED

The exhibition coincides with the return of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the world's only international art fair dedicated to contemporary African art and its diaspora, which comes to Somerset House for its twelfth edition in London. Aligning with Frieze London and Frieze Masters, this year's event takes place from 10 - 13 October 2024 and features more than 60 galleries and 180 artists.

 

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