Join collector Karun Thakar on 17 August for a special tour of Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan at the SOAS Gallery. Hear how he built this remarkable collection, then explore the exhibition with the opportunity to ask questions. Free, but booking is essential https://ow.ly/6nnp50ZwCCJ

Wondering what to do on another hot Saturday in #Bloomsbury then may we recommend you follow the example of these good people and immerse yourself in the calm of fantastic textiles in a wonderfully air conditioned gallery. See you tomorrow #KarunCollection #SoasUniversity

Yesterday's 'Object in Focus' seminar explored the story of #Bidriware through objects from the SOAS collections. Using the objects themselves as evidence, we traced changing patterns of patronage from royal courts to museums and today's tourist market. #SOASGallery

Don’t miss renowned sitarist & cellist Peter Yelding performing music from the historic Lucknow-Shahjahanpur Gharana. 21 Jul, 1–2pm, SOAS Gallery. Book: https://store.soas.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/concert-series/concert-series/lunchtime-listen-afghan-threads-in-hindustani-music

Opening tomorrow! Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan opens at SOAS Gallery from 10:30am on Friday 10th July. Explore around 100 extraordinary embroidered textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection, developed in collaboration with the V&A Museum. https://ow.ly/tI1K50Zl8ku

A hidden signature lies within this Burmese lacquer container lid. Its inscriptions record the name and workshop of the craftsman who made it, offering a glimpse into Bagan's renowned lacquerware tradition. Discover this remarkable object on display in the Foyle Gallery from 10th July

Just one week to go! 🎉 SOAS Gallery reopens on 10th July with Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan, showcasing around 100 extraordinary embroidered textiles from across Afghanistan. We look forward to welcoming you back! #SOASGallery

SOAS Alphawood Scholars Puthipor El and Yee Wai Than are undertaking a Collections Documentation Internship at SOAS Gallery. Their work on the redisplay of the Southeast Asia collections will be unveiled when the Gallery reopens on 10th July. #SOASGallery

Our latest blog explores the history and craftsmanship of Bidriware from the SOAS Collections. Read it now on the SOAS Gallery website, then see these remarkable objects on display when we reopen on 10th July: https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/blogs/learning-through-objects-bidriware-soas-collections

This beautiful illustration of moths is from an album of paintings of insects created in China. https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/album-of-paintings-of-insects-moths/1257841?item=1257846 #EYAColourful

SOAS Gallery is now closed as we install our next exhibition, Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan. Reopening Friday 10th July with a stunning display of Afghan embroidery from the Karun Thakar Collection, developed in collaboration with the V&A Museum. https://ow.ly/muJy50Z8NOr #SOASGallery

⏰ Last chance! Tomorrow (20th June) is the final day to visit In-/Visible Spectrums: Contemporary Video Art from the Sinosphere at SOAS Gallery. Featuring 11 artists from mainland China, Hong Kong and the diaspora. Open 10:30am–5pm. Free admission.

📢 Final chance to see In-/Visible Spectrums before it closes on 20th June. Join our free roundtable exploring the artworks, curatorial process and debates around exhibiting contemporary art from the Sinosphere. https://ow.ly/juEs50Z8Nhu

⏳ One week left to visit Invisible Spectrums at SOAS Gallery. Explore works that reveal hidden histories, overlooked narratives, and alternative ways of seeing the world. Don't miss it before it closes on Saturday 20th June. #InvisibleSpectrums #SOASGallery

Zheng Xinhao's Not Here, Not There (2020), single-channel video, 6’14” can be seen at the #SOASGallery as part of In-/Visible Spectrums until Saturday 20 June #VideoArt #ArtInstallation #VisualArt

Join us for the final events accompanying 'In-/Visible Spectrums' at SOAS Gallery next week: https://ow.ly/ywUK50Z8KzS

Ma Qiusha’s Pantheon (2024–2025) is now on view in Invisible Spectrums at the SOAS Gallery. Ma Qiusha works across video, photography, painting and installation. Her practice explores everyday experience, intergenerational dynamics, and the shifting socio-cultural landscape of contemporary China.

How time flies, on this day in 1996 we welcomed visitors to #SOAS and our first ever exhibition #EmpireOfTheSultans #OttomanArt from the Collection of #NasserDKhalili, were you there?

See Yi Lian’s Up and Down (2022) in Invisible Spectrums at the SOAS Gallery. An immersive moving image work exploring motion and shifting perspectives. Presented in memoriam of the artist Yi Lian (1987–2026). Open Tuesday–Saturday until 20th June.

Don’t miss Liang Yue’s Mind Rehearsal (2018) in the Roof Garden at the SOAS Gallery. A contemplative installation exploring memory and inner reflection as part of Invisible Spectrums. Open Tuesday–Saturday until 20th June.

See Siu Wai Hang’s Cage Bridges (2021) in Invisible Spectrums at the SOAS Gallery. An immersive video work exploring Hong Kong’s urban spaces, memory, and connection. On the Ground Floor alongside more video art from across the Sinosphere. Open Tuesday–Saturday until 20th June.

✨ 16th March, 5.30pm at SOAS Gallery. Join Malavika Kasturi and Jateen Lad in conversation on the collaboration behind Mughal Banaras. Archival research, fieldwork and photography come together, followed by an exclusive out-of-hours exhibition visit. 🎟 https://ow.ly/kixH50Yoaak

📚 Final curator’s tour of Mughal Banaras at SOAS Gallery. Join Dr Malavika Kasturi as she explores the archival and research foundations of the exhibition, tracing the later Mughal presence in Banaras through Persian chronicles, colonial records and family archives. 🎟 https://ow.ly/qIBm50Yo9Ny

📸 Free exhibition tour, Saturday 7th March at SOAS Gallery. Join photographer and curator Jateen Lad to explore Mughal Banaras: Forgotten Histories in a Troubled Present and uncover the city’s overlooked Mughal heritage. 🎟 Book now: https://ow.ly/WBcz50Yo9Ay

A book of Tibetan poetry, stories and lyrical prose, Ocean, as Much as Rain by Tsering Woeser will be launched by SOAS Library on 11th March, 5.15–6.30pm. With Fiona Sze-Lorrain & Dechen Pemba in conversation with Jemimah Steinfeld. All welcome: https://ow.ly/Gks150YoGFS

To all of you starting your celebrations of the #SpringFestival and #ChineseNewYear for the #YearoftheHorse may we wish you an absolutely fabulous 2026

Let's explore a few of our lesser known #EYADUSTY collections! This watercolour artwork, depicting Arab figures, was produced by the Algiers Mission Band. It can be traced back to a journal by Lilias Trotter, who was a founding member from 1888-1928. (AWM/AMB, Box 14a)

Sign up for our free curator talk ahead of the opening of 'Mughal Banaras'. Wed 14th Jan, 4 - 5 pm. Meet the curators and discover the research behind the exhibition. Book free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-conversation-collaborative-methods-behind-mughal-banaras-tickets-1978115397403

Back to work and preparing our galleries 🎨✨ Mughal Banaras: Forgotten Histories in a Troubled Present opens 15 Jan, with free events on 14 and 21 Jan 📸🏛️ I Couldn’t Stand By, developed with PositiveNegatives, opens 16 Jan ✏️🌍 See you soon https://www.soas.ac.uk/soas-library/soas-gallery

Happy New Year from SOAS Gallery 🎉✨ Start the year with more exhibitions. Our two new shows, Mughal Banaras and I Couldn’t Stand By, open on 15 January. Find details, events, and our newsletter via the link in bio 🖼️📩 Image: I Couldn’t Stand By, Positive Negatives