V&A Museum Reopens 1900-Now Galleries
The V&A Museum has reopened its 1900-Now galleries with highlights including contemporary pieces like Labubus works and even pimple patches as art objects, generating 4 likes and 551 views in social media coverage. The reopening contextualizes new technology and everyday objects within art history.
- The galleries, curated by Corinna Gardner and Johanna Agerman Ross, showcase over 250 objects, with 60 being new acquisitions. Many of these new items were acquired through the museum's "Rapid Response Collecting" program, which has been active since 2014 to source objects that reflect contemporary social, political, and technological changes. - One of the new displays features a reconstruction of the original YouTube watch page from 2006, showcasing the first video ever uploaded, "Me at the zoo." This acquisition is part of the museum's effort to collect and preserve significant digital artifacts, which also includes the Chinese social platform WeChat and the mobile game Flappy Bird. - The inclusion of Labubu dolls, created by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung, reflects the influence of contemporary pop culture and social media trends. These "ugly-cute" characters, popularized through limited-edition "blind box" releases, have become a global phenomenon, demonstrating modern dynamics of consumerism and identity. - The display of pimple patches connects a contemporary beauty item to a long history of cosmetic adornment. Using facial patches to cover blemishes dates back to at least 17th-century Europe when they were made from materials like silk and velvet and cut into decorative shapes. - The galleries are organized into six themes: housing and living, crisis and conflict, consumption and identity, automation and labour, sustainability and subversion, and data and communication. This thematic approach allows for the juxtaposition of historical and contemporary objects to explore their evolving meanings. - Alongside modern items, the galleries feature significant historical design pieces. These include a "Mae West Lips" sofa designed by Salvador Dalí and Edward James, and a leg splint created by Charles and Ray Eames. - The redesign of the galleries, which began in the autumn of 2019 and was partially developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed to connect three previously separate spaces into a more cohesive presentation of 20th and 21st-century design. - Other notable new acquisitions that reflect the diversity of the collection include a burkini, Nigeria's 2018 World Cup kit, and the smashed laptop of Edward Snowden.
