About
The Brunei Gallery is the public exhibition gallery of SOAS, University of London, located near Russell Square in Bloomsbury and named for the gift from the Sultan of Brunei that funded the building's construction. Rather than holding a single fixed permanent collection, the gallery hosts a regularly changing programme of exhibitions exploring the art, history, and culture of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, the regions in which SOAS specialises academically, drawing on the university's own research strengths, museum loans, and contemporary artists working across these regions.
Exhibitions at the Brunei Gallery range widely in subject and period, from historic textiles, manuscripts, and decorative arts drawn from museum and private collections, to contemporary art addressing themes of migration, identity, and political change across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This changing programme means that no two visits offer quite the same experience, and the gallery has built a strong reputation among London's specialist and academic audiences for exhibitions rarely seen elsewhere in the capital, often connected to SOAS's own areas of scholarly expertise.
Above the main exhibition floors, the building's rooftop Japanese-style roof garden offers a genuinely distinctive addition to a visit: a carefully designed contemplative space inspired by traditional Japanese garden design, providing a quiet counterpoint to the busy streets of Bloomsbury below and a popular spot for visitors to pause between viewing the exhibitions.
As part of an active university campus building, the Brunei Gallery keeps opening hours weighted toward the working week, typically closed at weekends and during university closure periods over Christmas and other holidays, reflecting its integration into SOAS's wider academic operations rather than functioning as a standalone visitor attraction. Free to enter and rarely crowded, the gallery rewards visitors with a genuine interest in the art and culture of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and makes an easy, worthwhile addition to a day exploring Bloomsbury's museums.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday
Busiest: Saturday
💡 Thursday evenings during extended opening hours
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the current exhibition and opening schedule before visiting — the gallery is closed Mondays and Sundays, and can close briefly between exhibitions.
- Don't miss the rooftop Japanese roof garden, a highlight in its own right and easy to overlook if you head straight for the main galleries.
- Thursday evening extended opening hours offer a good option for visiting after work or combining with SOAS public lectures.
- The gallery is easily combined with a visit to the nearby British Museum and other Bloomsbury museums given its central Russell Square location.
- Because the exhibition programme changes regularly, check what's currently showing in advance if you have a specific interest in a particular region or period.
- Free admission and generally low visitor numbers make this a relaxed, uncrowded stop compared to Bloomsbury's larger museums.
- Public lectures and events connected to current exhibitions are often free and open to all, not just SOAS students — check the gallery's website for upcoming events.
- The building is fully accessible with lift access to all floors including the roof garden.
Highlights
Japanese Roof Garden
The Brunei Gallery's rooftop roof garden, designed in the tradition of Japanese contemplative garden design, offers a genuinely distinctive addition to a visit: a quiet, carefully composed space of planting, gravel, and water features providing a peaceful contrast to the busy Bloomsbury streets below.
Free to visit alongside the exhibitions, the roof garden is a popular spot for reflection and a highlight in its own right for many repeat visitors.
Changing Exhibition Programme
The gallery's core identity rests on its regularly changing exhibition programme, exploring the art, history, and material culture of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East through loans from museums and private collections, contemporary artist commissions, and material drawn from SOAS's own academic research.
This means the specific highlight of any visit depends entirely on the exhibition running at the time, making repeat visits genuinely rewarding.
SOAS Academic Connection
Because the gallery is embedded within SOAS's academic community, exhibitions frequently draw on cutting-edge scholarship in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern studies, often accompanied by public lectures, panel discussions, and events connecting the exhibited material to current academic research, giving visitors access to expertise not typically available at a standard commercial or municipal gallery.
Contemporary Art from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East
The gallery regularly showcases contemporary artists working across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, addressing themes including migration, political change, identity, and cultural memory, offering London audiences access to contemporary voices from regions less consistently represented in the capital's mainstream gallery programme.
Collections
The Brunei Gallery does not hold a single fixed permanent collection but instead operates as SOAS, University of London's principal public exhibition space, hosting a continually changing programme of exhibitions on the art, history, and culture of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Exhibitions draw on loans from major museums and private collections, contemporary artist commissions, and material connected to SOAS's own academic research strengths in these regions.
The building also houses a rooftop Japanese-style roof garden, a permanent feature offering visitors a contemplative space alongside the temporary exhibition programme.
Japanese Roof Garden
A permanent rooftop garden designed in the tradition of Japanese contemplative garden design, offering a peaceful outdoor space above the gallery's exhibition floors.
📍 Roof Garden
Changing Exhibitions Programme
A continually rotating programme of temporary exhibitions exploring the art, history, and contemporary culture of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, drawing on SOAS's academic expertise and museum and private collection loans.
📍 Main Galleries
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
Nearby Museums (5 within 6 miles)
Grant Museum of Zoology & Comparative Anatomy
London — ~5 min walk (0.2 mi)
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
London — ~5 min walk (0.2 mi)