Manchester Museum has announced the appointment of Studio C102 and Mobile Studio Architects for their South Asia Gallery.
The Gallery, due to open in August 2022, will be a permanent exhibition.
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The gallery will be the first and largest permanent gallery in the country dedicated to exploring the stories, experiences, cultures and contributions of South Asian diaspora communities in the UK. It will bring together lived experience and world-class collections, including loans from the British Museum, in what will be the largest permanent gallery in the Museum. At its centre, there will be a performance space for generating and sharing new perspectives and stories.
Studio C102 and Mobile Studio Architects will join Manchester Museum in collaboration with the British Museum and the South Asia Gallery Collective to create the 372sqm co-curated and co-designed space.
The South Asia Gallery will bring objects from the British Museum to Manchester, to be displayed alongside the very best of Manchester Museum’s own South Asian collections, including the natural sciences.
Speaking about the appointment, Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum, commented, “We are delighted with this appointment. Studio C102 and Mobile Studio Architects have shown their commitment to being open, accessible and inclusive in their approach. With their collaborative spirit and dedication to co-design, this gallery will be a brave and bold space; a place for emotional connections and new perspectives.”
The South Asia Gallery is a keystone of Manchester Museum’s £13.5 million transformation project. The two-storey extension will also include a new exhibition hall dedicated to major temporary shows and projects with the rest of the museum being reshaped to create a new Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, further displays, shop cafe and new entrance.