The UK’s First Child-Centered Museum Exhibition Around Egyptian Art

Starting February 2025, Young V&A invites families and children aged 8-12 to embark on a discovery of Egyptian creativity and its lasting legacy in today’s art, design, and pop culture. Mixing ancient and new art, old and new practices, observation, and interaction, the Making Egypt exhibition aims to ignite curiosity about Egypt’s creativity and its lasting influence. 

Divided into three sections, Storytelling, Communicating, and Making, the exhibition will take visitors along the Nile from sunrise to sunset to uncover ancient Egyptian myths, Gods, and landscapes with playful illustrations by artist Jean Wei. 

Moreover, over 200 works spanning over 5,500 years will be displayed to tell the stories, from ancient sarcophaguses (some of which will be available to touch) to comics, games, and films including Minecraft, Lego, or The Mummy (1999). In addition, contemporary crafts and designs such as jewelry from Azza Fahmy and design works by Marjan van Aubel will also be exhibited. The presence of both ancient artifacts and contemporary objects will allow the visitors to understand the lasting influence of Egyptian art on modern craftsmanship and how artists today still purge influence from ancient history. Their works will be shown with sketches and photos of workshops, through which their creative process will be made available to the visitors. 

Curated around creativity in ancient Egypt, the exhibition will also include activities such as drawing with scale, deciphering hieroglyphics, and designing your own amulet. This interactive aspect will engage children and families and perhaps even enable some new creative minds. 

Benjamin Hinson, curator of Making Egypt emphasizes that they hope the exhibition will ‘offer our young visitors fresh insights into the creative practices of one of the longest-lasting civilizations in the world, showcasing how an ancient culture can inspire the future makers of today.’

All of this will make up a complex exhibition centered around children and creativity. Going away from conventional exhibition methods and rather encouraging visitors to interact and participate, this exhibition will be one not to miss this winter.