Simone Leigh will present her largest-ever exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in late 2027, featuring new monumental bronze and ceramic sculptures alongside film installations. The show, curated by Tarini Malik, follows Leigh's historic representation of the United States at the 2022 Venice Biennale, where she became the first Black woman to receive that commission and won the Golden Lion for her work *Brick House*.
The exhibition's theme will explore architecture and art created under fascist regimes, a subject Leigh says is directly informed by current political conditions in the United States. Leigh has voiced concern about attacks on DEI initiatives, noting that some artists have had commissions stalled or canceled for anti-DEI reasons. The show underscores how contemporary artists are responding to shifting political landscapes, and it positions Leigh's practice—centered on Black female experience, history, and resistance—as a critical voice in an era of institutional and political upheaval.