Since Earl’s Court’s Mosaic Rooms closed at the end of 2024, London has been without one of its finest specialised art museums. The gallery, which celebrates Arabic culture from Morocco to Syria, shut for a major refurb.
But as of February, London’s Arabic art devotees will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. The non-profit space has announced a date for its reopening. Even better, its refurb is looking very swish indeed.
When the Mosaic Rooms reopens on February 18, the space will boast a new entry hall, refreshed galleries and an upgraded bookshop.
So what exhibitions can we look forward to post-refresh? Walking through the garden into Mosaic Rooms’ new entry hall, you’ll be immersed into ‘Four Moons From Home’, a permanent site-specific work by Palestinian architect, visual artist and academic Dima Srouji. Expect immense stained-glass windows carved in Jerusalem stone by artisans in Bethlehem.
And that’s not all. The serious facelift has led to the creation of a new creative learning space called the Play Room and an upstairs room named The Salon for screenings and gatherings. The gallery’s distinctive tower has been transformed into a space for experimental broadcasts.
Film fans can also revel in the gallery’s next phase, which will host the UK’s first ever public solo exhibition by artist Bouchra Khalili. Titled ‘Circles and Storytelling’, its three films dig into the legacy of 1970s activist collective the Movement of Arab Workers and its theatre groups, led by undocumented workers advocating for social justice and the freedom of artistic expression.
The Mosaic Rooms has been a hub for Arabic art in London since 2008, featuring renowned artists including the likes of Decolonising Architecture Art Research founders Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, as well as Mohammed Omar Khalil, celebrated as the Arab world’s first printmaker.
Its physical makeover also comes with big changes behind the scenes, as Mosaic Rooms returns with a brand new director, team and board.
Incoming director Pip Day said of the reopening: ‘I look forward to strengthening connections with artists and communities whose work confronts the inequalities of our contemporary world, speaks to urgent histories and presents, and holds space – in London – for the lived experiences of the Arab region and diasporic communities.’
Mosaic Rooms reopens on February 18 at 226 Cromwell Rd, SW5 0SW. Find out more on the museum website here.
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