Institute of Contemporary Arts
What Visitors Say
Visited for Smarzowski's Good Home screening and I'm a bit disappointed. Cinema needs some upgrades, chairs are old and not comfy, could have felt my back after the event. Not much space either, no cup holders. Lobby is quite small when queuing up and it gets crowded very fast. There are some shops inside to get quick snack or even to grab a book. Staff seems helpful and happy to help.
A hidden gem of an art and hot-desking space, just a few minutes' walk from Trafalgar Square! The WiFi is good, and there are quite a few power sockets and vacant seats. While it's often eerily quiet on weekdays, which is great for focusing, it can get quite busy in the evenings and at weekends (though it remains reasonably quiet). I find the evening buzz useful for perspective, as you can often overhear discussions about art, politics, and ethics, helping to balance apt-sudo's and other Linux niceties! The interior design is particularly interesting: it's very bare except for well-chosen and strategically placed sources of light, which create inviting, and otherworldly, corners in what might otherwise feel too clinical.
I had a great experience during my visit to the ICA. I watched a film in their screen one. The cinema was warm, the seats were comfortable, and the cinema screen were clean. The staff were friendly and helpful, providing excellent customer service. I like that they show a lot of independent films in their cinema.
Beautiful venue. Overall very minimal display of art. But a great venue for small space presentations on art and related creative fields.
I visited the ICA for the first time for the iconic Cybernetic Serendipity Exhibition in 1968, and recently for a concert by the wonderful Gazelle Twin. The place still exudes its characteristic refined taste and calm, while full of the excitement you get knowing you will be experiencing something completely unique and new. Great bookshop, bar and performance space. The tiny entrance doorway on the Mall and convoluted internal layout give it an intimate feel and make for a unique atmosphere. events there are a very special experience.
Highlights
Galleries Sweep
Compact, idea-dense showsRotating exhibitions swap spectacle for argument—often with strong writing and live events around them.
Lower & upper levels off the foyer
Cinema 1
Indie and international programmingFrom restorations to first-feature debuts, the ICA’s screen makes a case for film as a thinking person’s nightlife.
Off the main foyer
Bar & Bookshop
Where the conversation spills overArtist books and theory texts rub shoulders with zines; the bar doubles as foyer for ideas.
Ground floor
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
The ICA incubated the Independent Group (1950s)—the think-tank behind British Pop Art’s ideas about mass media and everyday objects.
Its 1968 show ‘Cybernetic Serendipity’ was a world first for computer art, introducing plotter drawings, algorithmic music and machine choreography to a general audience.
The Nash-designed terraces on The Mall house the ICA: neoclassical shells with a history of avant-garde contents.
Similar Museums
Nearby Places
Canada House Gallery
3 min 👣
His Majesty's Theatre
3 min 👣
Trafalgar Theatre
3 min 👣
Theatre Royal Haymarket
4 min 👣
Household Cavalry Museum
4 min 👣
Harold Pinter Theatre
5 min 👣
National Gallery
5 min 👣
National Portrait Gallery
5 min 👣
Churchill War Rooms
6 min 👣
British Optical Association Museum
6 min 👣