Exhibitions

The Everythingist, Es Devlin

London, United Kingdom

Es Devlin bridges the gap between 1920s avant-garde and modern technology through a rhythmic dance of light and shadow.

The Everythingists

Image credit

The Everythingists © V&A Storehouse

Meet the artist

The Movement

Contemporary Art, Painting, Performance Art Movement

ArtLovers Tip

Look closely at the plywood structures within the installation; they are designed to echo the very architecture of the V&A Storehouse itself, blurring the line between the art and its new home. Admission is free.

Exhibition Highlights - What you'll see

Es Devlin, the master of stage and spectacle, reimagines Natalia Goncharova’s 1926 Ballets Russes backdrop for the digital age. This commission for V&A East Storehouse explores 'Everythingism'—a philosophy that embraces every medium from painting to performance—linking the century-old folk-tales of The Firebird to our current relationship with machines. It is a dialogue across time, rooted in the creative energy of East London.

You're watching a 15-meter wide painted landscape come alive with the flickering presence of a dancer suspended between towering iPhone boxes. Every 90 seconds, the cavernous space of the Storehouse shifts as light illuminates plywood structures and the haunting horn theme of Stravinsky echoes through the room. The scale feels both monumental and intimate, as Devlin's own voice weaves together poetry and manifestos, inviting you to witness the lifting of a curse and the return of light.

Worth the trip

  • A New Landmark: Experience the V&A East Storehouse, a pioneering space where the museum's vast archives are brought into the public eye for the first time.
  • Multidisciplinary Mastery: Witness how Devlin synthesizes sculpture, sound, and dance into a single, cohesive 'everythingist' installation.
  • Historical Dialogue: See a contemporary icon engage directly with Goncharova’s legendary 1926 stage design, rarely interpreted with such physical scale.

How to experience it

Walk through the Olympic Park towards Hackney Wick, allowing the industrial-meets-greenery landscape to set the mood before entering the gallery. Once inside, don't rush; wait for at least two illumination cycles to catch the full rhythmic interplay of the soundtrack and the shadows. Afterward, head to the canalside in Hackney Wick for a coffee, reflecting on how the grit of the East End continues to fuel global artistic movements.

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