South London Gallery in Peckham closes 2026 with Kang Seung Lee's first UK show

On Peckham Road, the South London Gallery has been showing art to its neighbours since the 19th century, and it has saved one of its most interesting exhibitions of the year for the winter.

From 11 December 2026 to 11 April 2027, the gallery presents the first solo exhibition in the UK by South Korean artist Kang Seung Lee. The show spans both the Main Gallery and the Fire Station galleries across the road.

Lee, born in Seoul in 1978 and now based in Los Angeles, works across drawing, embroidery, assemblage, installation and video. The gallery describes his approach to memory and history as precise and poetic, engaging with transnational queer histories and reimagining archival materials through acts of care and reinvention. For Peckham he is creating new work that responds to the site and honours the expression and activism of his artistic predecessors. He has exhibited at the 60th Venice Biennale and the Gwangju Biennale, among many others.

The exhibition is curated by the third cohort of New Curators, a paid year long training programme in London for aspiring curators from lower socio economic backgrounds, a sign of the gallery's commitment to opening up the art world.

It completes a busy 2026 programme. The year began with New Contemporaries, the long running showcase for emerging artists whose alumni include David Hockney, Mona Hatoum and Chris Ofili. Spring and summer brought Brazilian painter Paulo Nimer Pjota's first exhibition at a UK public gallery and the first solo institutional exhibition by British Nigerian artist Ranti Bam, whose ceramic sculptures filled the Fire Station. This autumn, Polish artist Monika Sosnowska presents sculptural works in steel and concrete until 22 November.

The gallery's roots go back to the South London Working Men's College, and its Peckham Road building opened in 1891. It has a long history of bold shows, including Minky Manky in 1995, which first showed Tracey Emin's famous tent.

Best of all, exhibitions are free. The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 6pm, and until 9pm on Wednesdays.

The South London Gallery is at 65 to 67 Peckham Road, SE5 8UH, with the Fire Station at 82 Peckham Road. For exhibitions and events, visit southlondongallery.org.