Bimini (also known as Bimini Bon-Boulash) will take over The National Gallery on Thursday February 5 with a DJ set blending electronic, pop and club sounds as part of week-long festival Art After Dark. They’ll be joined in the landmark Sainsbury Wing by emerging DJ Mia Lily.
“The idea of performing in The National Gallery feels a bit surreal in the best way,” Bimini said in a statement. “I grew up thinking galleries were these quiet, untouchable spaces, so to walk in as a queer artist and get to make noise, take up space, and be fully myself feels really special.”
London’s cultural institutions are no strangers to after-dark events; the likes of The National Gallery, Tate Modern and The Royal Academy of Arts have been hosting “lates” events for years, with talks, workshops and DJ sets. But it’s rarer to have a major headliner – particularly when tickets are just £5.
A real drawcard of the Party After Dark event will be the chance to party in the Sainsbury Wing (which reopened last year after a major redevelopment) surrounded by world-famous artworks like Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks.
“Art isn’t meant to sit still, it’s meant to start conversations,” continued Bimini in the statement. “And if that conversation involves dancing in the same building as a Van Gogh, I’m fully here for it.”
Party After Dark is part of the twice-yearly Art After Dark, which usually runs for just a couple of days, but this time runs for a whole week (February 3 to 10) for the first time. The festival celebrates the West End’s cultural institutions with late-night gallery openings, live performances and a new outdoor art commission – a towering, colourful installation at Piccadilly Circus by London-based artist Lakwena Maciver, designed to look like a stacked sound system in homage to London’s music scene.
Tickets to Party After Dark on Thursday February 5 are on sale now.
