A national centre for illustration is being established to celebrate illustration as a vital form of communication and storytelling, addressing its historical overlooking in public art spaces.

Centre director Lindsey Glen stresses that illustration is a fundamental human communicative tool and the centre aims to inspire visitors to engage with and potentially create their own illustrations.

Ahmad emphasizes that visitors should see everyday illustrations in new ways and feel empowered to tell their own stories through drawing, collage, or digital media.

The opening program features Murugiah’s Ever Feel Like, drawing on Sri Lankan heritage and Welsh upbringing, alongside Queer as Comics, the UK’s first major exhibition on queer comic-making from the 1940s to the present.

Queer as Comics is highlighted as the first major UK exhibition on queer comic-making from the 1940s to today, complemented by Murugiah’s solo show reflecting heritage and upbringing.

The inaugural exhibition, Performance, will showcase over 100 original and rarely seen drawings, highlighting Blake’s theatrical influences and illustrations linked to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and The Enormous Crocodile.

Another opening exhibit will present early drawings for The Enormous Crocodile, marking Blake’s first Dahl book illustration and illustrating his long career.

Performance will include a Laurence Olivier caricature from 1957 and other pieces that demonstrate Blake’s approach to storytelling through illustration.

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens in Clerkenwell as the UK’s first permanent space dedicated to illustration, evolving from the House of Illustration and housing Blake’s 40,000-drawing archive.

The centre’s opening signals a rising recognition of illustration as a central art form in British culture, with a large archive and ongoing exhibitions.

The move to Clerkenwell follows two decades of planning, establishing the centre as a long-term home for illustration.

Quentin Blake’s daily drawing practice continues, with the centre aiming to showcase both beloved and lesser-known works from his 80-year career.