Art exhibitions opening at Whitechapel Gallery in 2025
Whitechapel Gallery’s 2025 programme offers an exciting range of exhibitions, celebrating innovative artistic visions and addressing vital social themes. Highlights include a major retrospective of Joy Gregory’s groundbreaking photographic work and the dynamic live performances of The London Open Live. The year also features powerful surveys of Donald Rodney and Hamad Butt, alongside a special celebration marking 15 years of Duchamp & Sons, Whitechapel’s acclaimed youth collective. Below is a guide to the exhibitions opening at Whitechapel Gallery in 2025.
Donald Rodney: Visceral Canker
A comprehensive survey of late British multimedia artist Donald Rodney’s influential work. The exhibition showcases Rodney’s innovative use of materials to confront themes such as racial identity, chronic illness, and colonialism, featuring iconic works like The House that Jack Builtand Autoicon.
Date: 12 February – 4 May 2025. More details.
15 Years of Duchamp & Sons
This free exhibition celebrates the 15th anniversary of Whitechapel Gallery’s youth collective, Duchamp & Sons. The display, co-curated by young people and artist Holly Graham, reflects on their collaborative artistic projects and their evolving impact on arts education and representation.
Date: 5 February – 5 May 2025. More details.
Hamad Butt: Apprehensions
The first major survey of Hamad Butt, exploring his sculptural installations that delve into themes of desire, death, and racial difference. Works like Transmission and Familiars invite audiences into spaces of fear and precarity, drawing analogies to disease and environmental crises.
Date: 4 June – 7 September 2025.
The London Open Live
This year’s edition of Whitechapel’s triennial focuses on live art. Featuring performances that reflect on life in London, this free programme celebrates artistic expression and intimacy, offering a platform for emerging and established artists to engage audiences.
Date: 4 June – 7 September 2025. More details.
Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey
A major retrospective of photographer Joy Gregory, showcasing over 100 works from her four-decade career. Gregory’s politically nuanced practice explores themes of identity, race, and gender through photography, video, and textiles.
Date: 8 October 2025 – 11 January 2026.
Candice Lin
Renowned for her multi sensory installations, LA-based artist Candice Lin will present Whitechapel Gallery’s annual commission. The exhibition will interrogate marginalised histories and colonial legacies, bringing these narratives to life through evocative materials and interactive installations.
Date: 8 October 2025 – 11 January 2026.