11am – 1pm, Sat 15 Aug
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 11am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 11am–6pm |
| Thursday | 11am–9pm |
| Friday | 11am–6pm |
| Saturday | 11am–6pm |
| Sunday | 11am–6pm |
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. A practicing architect and an award-winning artist, Kuda brings a wealth of knowledge as well as firsthand experience of 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 and 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 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 within 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:
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 Whitechapel Gallery.
This event is part of Backyard Biennial.
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.
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.
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.
