East London Art Prize x Backyard Biennial: walking tour exploring art & architecture at Whitechapel with Kuda Mushangi
Saturday 15th August 2026 , 11:00am to 1:00pm
A walking tour to explore how art has been woven into the history and architecture of Whitechapel and east London.
East London Art Prize shortlisted artist Kuda Mushangi will lead a walking tour of the Whitechapel area to explore how art has been integrated and woven into the history and architecture of Whitechapel and east London. As a practicing architect and an award-winning artist, Kuda brings a wealth of knowledge as well as first-hand experience by living in the vicinity. Key sites will include House of Annetta, Whitechapel Gallery, and Arnold Circus.
Starting at Whitechapel Gallery (E1 7QX), we will explore the relationship between art, migration, and architecture in east London through the lens of institutions, domestic spaces, public memory, and housing. Designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in 1901 and restored by Witherford Watson Mann Architects in 2009, the gallery provides an important starting point for discussing the role of cultural institutions within historically working-class and migrant communities, as well as the wider impact of regeneration and creative industries on the East End.
We will then make our way through Brick Lane and Princelet Street, where we will discuss how successive communities – including Huguenot, Jewish and Bangladeshi populations – have shaped the architecture and urban fabric of the area over centuries. Along the route, Kuda will reflect on how streets, shopfronts and informal public spaces can act as an archive of social and cultural history.
Our next stop will be House of Annetta (E1 6QH), an artist-led domestic cultural space that demonstrates how historic buildings can be preserved and activated through artistic occupation and collective use. Here, we will explore the relationship between domestic interiors, artistic practice, and adaptive reuse, while considering how alternative forms of cultural infrastructure can exist outside of traditional institutions.
We will then continue towards Boundary Estate / Arnold Circus (E2 7JS), one of the earliest social housing estates in the world and a landmark example of socially-driven urban planning in London. Here, we will discuss the importance of communal space within the housing developments and how architecture can shape relationships between people, public life, and the wider city.
Our penultimate stop on the tour will be Peabody Whitechapel Estate (E1 8HE) by Níall McLaughlin Architects, where Kuda will discuss contemporary housing and the role architecture can play in creating dignified and community-oriented living environments with dense urban contexts. The project also provides an opportunity to examine how contemporary architecture can respectfully engage with historic housing typologies while responding to the social realities of present-day London.
We will finish back at Whitechapel Gallery, giving you the opportunity to continue conversations sparked during the walk and spend further time exploring the gallery and surrounding area.
In this tour, you will:
- Learn about Kuda Mushangi’s practice as an artist straddling both disciplines: painting and architecture
- Explore how migration, resistance and artistic practice have shaped the architecture and identity of east London
- Gain insight into how architecture can function as social and cultural infrastructure beyond simply providing buildings
- Consider the relationship between domestic space, public space and collective memory within the city
- Connect with other artists, architects and practitioners with similar areas of interest
This walk is open to anyone to attend but will particularly resonate with artists, architects and creatives interested in the relationship between art, space and the city. No architectural background is required — come along and find out!
This event is curated by Wan Yi Sandra Lam, Curator: Programmes & Engagement at Bow Arts in collaboration with Dr. Richard Martin, Director of Participation and Rebecca Gremmo, Associate Producer: Backyard Biennial at Whitechapel Gallery.
This event will take place at Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London, E1 7QX.
More about Kuda Mushangi
Kuda Mushangi is an award-winning artist and architect based in London.
He studied Architecture at the Liverpool School of Architecture, completing his Master of Architecture degree in 2020. Alongside his architectural work, Mushangi has developed a distinctive visual art practice that explores contemporary themes through a multidisciplinary lens.
In 2020, he was recognised as a young emerging artist through an open call by Tate Modern and Tate Collective. The following year, he was awarded the Holy Art Gallery Prize. His work has continued to receive critical attention—featured in Artist Talk Magazine in 2021 and shortlisted for the Ingram Prize in 2022.
Mushangi’s work was exhibited at the prestigious London Design Festival in 2024, and in 2025, he was shortlisted for the East London Art Prize. Through both his architectural and artistic practice, he remains deeply engaged with creative communities across the UK.
More about Whitechapel Gallery
Whitechapel Gallery is a ground-breaking arts institution located in the heart of London’s East-End – one of the most diverse and creative quarters in the world. Locally embedded and globally connected, the Gallery was founded in 1901 to enrich the cultural offer for the people of east London.
Over the years, Whitechapel Gallery has played host to some of the world’s most significant and visionary artists, showcasing art from across the globe, including China, Brazil and the Islamic world. Whitechapel Gallery is equally committed to supporting local artists and communities, many of whom come from, or reflect, the many migrants that have made Whitechapel and its surrounding areas their home.
Whitechapel Gallery’s Participation and Outreach programmes prioritise local communities, offering artist-led activities for all ages that encourage curiosity, learning and exchange. Whitechapel Gallery believes that art plays a critical role in firing imaginations, reflecting lived experiences, and opening up new possibilities for thinking, feeling and dreaming.
Access information
Please find the access information of Whitechapel Gallery here.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility at this venue or event, would like to make us aware of any access requirements that you have in advance of visiting, or would like this information in an alternate format including Easy Read, please email info@whitechapelgallery.org or call 020 7522 7888.
Access requirements could include things like providing equipment, services or support (e.g. information in Easy Read, speech to text software, additional 1:1 support), adjusting workshop timings (e.g. more break times), adjustments to the event space (e.g. making sure you have a seat near the entrance) or anything else you can think of!
About the East London Art Prize Events Programme
The East London Art Prize Events Programme is a dynamic, free public programme open to all, which builds on the Prize’s ethos of providing ongoing support, development, and networking opportunities for artists in east London and beyond.
Featuring a constellation of workshops, talks, panels, lates, socials, labs, walks, and takeovers in collaboration with our Prize partners and featuring some familiar faces from our shortlist of 12 fantastic artists, this year’s events programme celebrates and pays homage to the huge abundance of talent and creativity nestled in east London.
These events have been developed by Wan Yi Sandra Lam, Curator: Programmes & Engagement at Bow Arts in collaboration with our Prize partners the British Council, The Line, London College of Fashion (LCF), London Legacy Development Corporation, University College London (UCL), V&A East, Whitechapel Gallery and Dulux.
Find out more about the wider programme here.
More about the East London Art Prize
The East London Art Prize is an all-media art prize designed to showcase the talent of artists working and living in east London, with an accompanying event programme supporting artists’ careers and opportunities. The Prize is generously funded by Minerva and Prue MacLeod. Find out more on the Prize webpage here.
