Barbican Centre

📣 Our Director for Arts and Participation Devyani Saltzman was interviewed in Harper’s Bazaar 📰    For the magazine’s special annual Art Issue, Devyani spoke with Marie-Claire Chappet about her renewed artistic vision for the Barbican, the importance of rethinking how we work and the role of cultural institutions in the 21st century.     Reflecting on what it means to be a public thinker, Devyani shared;      ‘It's all about how we use those spaces to react to a complex geopolitical moment. It’s about what we are letting artists say through their work, and what we are telling as a story’.    🗞️ Read the full interview in the latest edition 

From backstage to centre stage! 🎭 We’re beyond excited to have one of our Barbican Young Changemakers Gabriele Uboldi returning to the Barbican! This October, Gabriele Uboldi and Samuel Rees perform their acclaimed documentary theatre piece Lessons on Revolution in The Pit. This production brings the 1968 student protests at the London School of Economics vividly to life. It blends archival material, personal stories, and audience interaction to explore where theatre meets activism, and how past radical politics can inspire new generations to act. Following sell-out performances at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe and 2025 Dublin Fringe Festival, bringing this play to the Barbican is a powerful full-circle moment. We’re privileged to be part of Gabriele’s journey from Young Barbican Changemaker, a programme putting young people at the heart of decision-making processes at the Barbican, to a leading artist in our unique studio space. 👉 Find out more about Lessons on Revolution by Undone Theatre and Carmen Collective (22 – 25 Oct): https://lnkd.in/degGi-rb 📷 Jack Sain 

Fashion is returning to the Barbican 👠✨ As part of our renewed Artistic Vision, fashion is making a bold comeback at the Barbican this autumn, woven into our multi-artform programme and the business events we’re proud to host. This season, we’re exploring the intersections between fashion and sustainability across artforms.  👢 We hosted two catwalk shows for London Fashion Week HARRI London and Susan Fang presented their Spring Summer 26 catwalk shows at the Barbican. HARRI’s show ‘MuseumWear’ took place in our iconic Sculpture Court and Susan Fang’s collection ‘Air•Evolution’ transformed our beloved Conservatory. 🩱 Dirty Looks, our new exhibition opening on 25th September, has already received a glowing 4-star review in The Guardian Our first fashion exhibition since 2017, Dirty Looks examines the dirty side of fashion and explores how dirt and decay have been used to defy beauty standards.  👗 Acclaimed director Caroline Guiela Nguyen is making her UK debut at the Barbican with LACRIMA On our stage this week, LACRIMA explores the dramatic and dazzling world of couture fashion, revealing the invisible people behind the beauty and luxury. 👉 Find out more about Dirty Looks (25 Sep 2025 – 25 Jan 2026):  https://lnkd.in/dARq6ggs 👉 Find out more about LACRIMA (25 Sep – 27 Sep 2025):  https://lnkd.in/dKydRcED 🎥 Enjoy footage from the two shows our Business Events team hosted as part of London Fashion Week. Credit: Anton Califano

On Sunday, the London Symphony Orchestra opened their 2025/26 season at the Barbican 🎶🌟 LSO Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano led a powerful double bill of two American masterpieces, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland’s Third Symphonies. The orchestra was joined on stage by operatic soprano Katharina Konradi, Dame Felicity Palmer, the Tiffin Boys’ Choir and the London Symphony Chorus. The performance has received glowing reviews:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐from Bachtrack: ‘Gripping is a good word to sum it up, and to describe Pappano’s impassioned conducting’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from The Guardian, describing the concert as ‘big, bold and filled with blazing conviction’ Huge congratulations to our friends at the LSO! We look forward to the rest of the season 👏 📷 Mark Allan

📣 Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum opened last week 📣    This landmark exhibition brings together new and existing works by contemporary artist Mona Hatoum in dialogue with historic sculptures by Alberto Giacometti, marking the first time the two artists have been exhibited together.    By integrating works by Giacometti within her own installations, Hatoum explores shared themes of violence, memory, and human fragility, transforming the Barbican’s gallery into an unsettling and strange domestic space.   In a 5-star review in The Guardian, the exhibition is described as an ‘extraordinary show [...], a conversation, across the decades, between two kindred artists who refuse to shy away from the world’s horror and pain’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐    This exhibition is the second in a series of three in partnership with the Fondation Giacometti.     📅 3 Sep 2025 – 11 Jan 2026 👉 Find out more here:  https://lnkd.in/dkdw8kmY 📷 Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum, ‘Remains of the Day’(2016-2018) by Mona Hatoum, Installation view © Jo Underhill, Barbican Art Gallery 

We were delighted to host The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP at the Barbican for his first speech as Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of the World Design Congress 🌍👏 Yesterday, Minister Murray delivered the closing keynote speech at the World Design Congress 2025, setting out the government’s ambitions for the design sector and exploring how creativity can be a catalyst for climate action worldwide. Reflecting on the importance of the UK’s cultural and creative industries, the Minister said: ‘The UK’s creative output and our creative history are unmatched, and I’m proud to be part of a government that recognises the value of the creative industries in changing lives and providing opportunities’.  Hosted by the UK’s Design Council on behalf of the World Design Organization, this year's Congress was attended by over 1,000 people from around the world, both in-person at the Barbican and online. 📷 Design Council 👉 Read the full transcript of the speech here:   https://lnkd.in/dJMj8DUb #WorldDesignCongress2025

The World Design Congress 2025 opens today at the Barbican 🌍✨ We’re proud to welcome over 1,000 members of the international design community to the Barbican as London hosts the World Design Congress for the first time in over 50 years. Hosted by the UK’s Design Council on behalf of the World Design Organization, this year’s Congress explores how design can drive action on the climate and nature crisis. From circularity and net zero to regenerating places, the programme champions the Design Council’s ‘Design for Planet’ mission, fostering collaboration between designers, business leaders, policymakers, researchers and educators. Over the next two days, the Barbican will be a hub of ideas and collaboration, featuring inspirational keynotes, provocative discussions, intimate conversations, book launches and activations both onsite and online. We’re thrilled to host such a significant event for the cultural and creative industries, highlighting the Barbican and the City of London Corporation’s role as a global hub for world-leading design and events. 📅 World Design Congress 2025 (09/09 - 10/09) 👉 Explore the full programme here:  https://lnkd.in/eAt8QTbx 📷 Dion Barrett

We're very excited to welcome you to the Barbican Centre Abigail Pogson🎉

Do you want to showcase your brand at the Barbican? 🌟 With 18,000 weekly visitors from across the UK and beyond, the Barbican is one of London's most iconic cultural destinations. Our prime activation space at the heart of the Barbican Centre offers a unique backdrop for meaningful brand storytelling. From pop-ups and exhibitions to interactive workshops, our Corporate Partnerships Team collaborates with partners to design bespoke activations that connect with audiences across visual art, music, theatre, dance, cinema, and more. Each activation is supported by a tailored digital content and communications campaign, helping your brand’s story to travel even further and reach new diverse audiences. 📧 Contact our Corporate Partnerships Team to explore opportunities: [email protected] 👉 Find out more here:  https://lnkd.in/duEwTu7f

✨ Today marks an exciting new chapter for the Barbican as we announce that Abigail Pogson has been appointed as our new CEO 🎉 Abigail brings a wealth of experience across the cultural sector, along with a deep commitment to the arts and community. For the past decade, she has served as Chief Executive of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and is currently a member of the National Council of Arts Council England. As we move forward with our ambitious Renewal programme - restoring and revitalising the Centre for generations to come - and deliver our renewed artistic vision, Abigail's leadership will be instrumental in shaping the Barbican’s future. We look forward to working with her as we continue to create exceptional, inclusive, and joyful cultural experiences that bring people together.  The news follows a competitive, international search led by the City of London Corporation. Abigail will officially take up the role in January 2026.  We also want to express our sincerest thanks to David Farnsworth, who has served as Interim CEO this past year, and will continue to do so until Abigail formally starts. David’s inspiring leadership, warmth and integrity have been invaluable during this transitional period.  👉 Read the full announcement here:  https://lnkd.in/dZBh5vW4 📷 Aaron Stennett