THE DESIGN MUSEUM TO OPEN MAJOR EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY BLACK DESIGN THIS AUTUMN

This autumn, the Design Museum in London will open an exhibition guest curated by author and journalist Charlene Prempeh that charts the work of some of the most innovative contemporary Black designers working right now.

Nifemi Marcus-Bello with his exhibition Oríkì (Act III) Whispers of A Trail 2025. Imaged Credit: Erik Benjamins

The Nue Black Aesthetic — which runs from November 2026 until August 2027 — will feature 16 designers who are reshaping the design industry. It will be one of the most extensive exhibitions on contemporary Black design ever held in the UK. With over 100 objects on display, visitors will see innovative practices that span from fashion and furniture, to architecture, product design and sculpture.

At the core of the exhibition will be the question: “What does it mean to be a Black designer working today?”

Across six sections, the show will demonstrate that Black design is not a monolith, and that there is no single way to be a Black designer. By spotlighting diverse practices and voices, the exhibition invites visitors to rethink assumptions about what Black design looks like and who gets to shape design culture.

Strange Notes 2025 by Giles Tettey Nartey, Image Credit: Giles Tettey Narteye

The designers featured in the show are: Tejumola Adenuga, Taiba Akhuetie, Ini Archibong, Simone Brewster, Mac Collins, Phoebe Collings-James, Foday Dumbuya, Feben, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Andu Masebo, Saul Nash, Tosin Oshinowo, Bianca Saunders, Rachel Scott, Samuel Ross and Giles Tettey Nartey.

Additional works and graphics by over 20 designers — from Althea McNish to Yinka Ilori — will also feature in the exhibition’s introduction to contextualise Black design from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Charlene Prempeh, guest-curator of The Nue Black Aesthetic said: “The idea that Black design is not monolithic should not be surprising or controversial and yet there has historically been very little interrogation about the complexities and inspiration of contemporary Black designers or about how the specific experience of creating in a predominantly white space influences their practice. This exhibition focuses a spotlight on the design work of the diasporic community while provoking a reassessment of what Black design is today.”