“Forget the stuffy, over-curated art biennials you know — this is an eight-week celebration of the creativity at the heart of London’s East End.” That’s The Guardian’s take on Backyard Biennial: East, making its first edition this summer. Initiated by Whitechapel Gallery in collaboration with more than 40 local partners, it has been running across East London since 15 July — and it’s entirely free.
Biennial or Festival?
Backyard Biennial: East attempts both. The eight-week programme includes exhibitions, installations, screenings, workshops, open studios, walks, performances, and community archives. Conceived as part of Whitechapel Gallery’s 125th anniversary, this pilot project openly carries the ambition of rethinking what an arts biennial is and who it is for.
Partner organisations include Acme, Artsadmin, Auto Italia, Bevis Marks Synagogue Heritage Foundation, Bow Arts, Four Corners, The Gilbert + George Centre, the Jewish Museum London, The Somali Museum, Spitalfields City Farm, Raven Row, and dozens more. The artist list encompasses Zanele Muholi, Gilbert & George, Denzil Forrester, Ingrid Pollard, Alvaro Barrington, and many others.
What’s at Whitechapel Gallery?
The Gallery’s own programme is dense:
“East of the Aldgate Pump” (Galleries 1-3): The Biennial’s main exhibition. Twelve local, national, and international artists on migration, belonging, and identity — including Marwan Bassiouni, Jyll Bradley, Denzil Forrester, Rene Matić, and Rachel Garfield. Three sections: migratory stories and journeys, city life and kinship, and food and heritage.
“TUFAN” (Gallery 5): OITIJ-JO Collective’s summer-long residency on Bengali art and heritage. *Tufan* means storm in Bangla — sudden change, powerful energy, disruption, and the possibility of renewal. On 15 August, a music event *Bengal to Bethnal Green* takes place at Toynbee Studios Theatre.
“The Ropery” (Assembly Room): A participatory rope-making installation in collaboration with designer Sanne Visser, where visitors of all ages contribute to a growing work.
John Smith Films: Daily screenings in the Zilkha Auditorium of the quintessential East End filmmaker’s work.
Fozia Ismail, “A Song for the Xeedho – The Knot Makers”: An interactive installation of rope, knots, and weavings that makes visible the knowledge-transmission practices of Somali nomadic women.
Nando Messias, “TransMigration”: A durational walking performance moving twenty years of costume, props, and personal archive from Bishopsgate Institute to Whitechapel Gallery.
FAQ: Backyard Biennial: East
- Where is Backyard Biennial: East and how long does it run?
15 July – 6 September 2026 across dozens of venues in East London, centred on Whitechapel Gallery. Hours at Whitechapel Gallery: Monday closed; Tuesday–Wednesday, Friday–Sunday 11:00–18:00; Thursday 11:00–21:00. All biennial events are free.
- Which artists are participating?
Zanele Muholi, Gilbert & George, Denzil Forrester, Ingrid Pollard, Alvaro Barrington, Rene Matić, Jyll Bradley, and hundreds of artists and community organisations. Full list at whitechapelgallery.org/backyardbiennial.
- What’s the highlight this week?
SLQS Gallery workshops on Vietnamese diaspora (18–19 July). 15 August: *Bengal to Bethnal Green* music event at Toynbee Studios.
