Film screenings, networking events, recreations of iconic queer Black club spaces, archive materials (including an extended exploration of the first and only national gathering of Black gay men in the UK all the way back in 1987) and more, Making a rukus! goes beyond a static exhibition, forming a dynamic and lively celebration of the rich cultural and political history of Black LGBTQ+ people in Britain right through to the present. The residency launches at Somerset House on October 11 with a series of in-person events across the month.

The groundbreaking exhibition is curated by rukus! Federation co-founder Topher Campbell, an artist, actor and filmmaker whose 25-plus year career has unwaveringly championed Black queer culture in the UK. Having been raised in foster care in Birmingham and carving his own path as an openly Black gay man in the public eye, much of Campbell’s work centres on Black and Black queer placemaking, resisting the twin hostilities of homophobia and racism.

It is in this context that Campbell co-founded the rukus! Federation in 2000, alongside photographer Ajamu X, and the two have since hosted takeovers at galleries and creative spaces across the country. A short film produced by Campbell chronicling Ajamu’s trailblazing career opens the Somerset House exhibition which launches next week. 

The exhibition will host ephemera, objects and artwork documenting how the Black LGBTQ+ community navigated prejudice in the UK across the 20th century and into the present. This is succeeded by an immersive installation recreating iconic Black queer club spaces and the rhythms they pioneered, before closing with a collection of oral histories from Black LGBTQ+ community members in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

Making a rukus! Black Queer Histories through Love and Resistance runs at Somerset House from October 11, 2024 – Junuary 19, 2025 and will operate on a ‘pay what you can’ basis. Take a look at the gallery above for a sneak peek at what’s in store.