Photo credit: MOBO Organisation / Ashley Verse
MOBO Organisation and Outernet celebrate 30 years of MOBO and the legacy of founder Kanya King CBE
Immersive installation celebrating three decades of MOBO and the extraordinary vision of its founder Kanya King CBE will be displayed across Outernet’s iconic screens during
Black History Month and beyond
The specially created visual experience launches
22nd October and will remain on display until 18 November 2026, marking 30 years to the day since the first MOBO Awards, and is free to visit in the heart of central London.
Thirty years ago, without institutional backing or industry support, Kanya King CBE remortgaged her home to create MOBO – driven by a vision to champion Black music and culture and open doors for talent too often overlooked by the mainstream.
What began with the first MOBO Awards in 1996 grew into a powerful cultural platform, championing generations of talent and expanding beyond the Awards to create opportunities, support emerging artists and help pave the way for the next generation.
The specially created immersive installation will launch across Outernet’s iconic screens in central London on 22 October 2026, remaining on display until 18 November 2026 – exactly 30 years to the day since the very first MOBO Awards ceremony in 1996. Free for the public to experience, the installation takes audiences from MOBO’s beginnings in 1996 through three decades of defining cultural moments and generations of talent, while exploring how Kanya’s vision grew far beyond the Awards.
Over the past 30 years, artists including Stormzy, Pharrell Williams, Olivia Dean, Little Simz, Craig David, Ms Dynamite, Jay-Z, RAYE, Amy Winehouse, Sade, Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Skepta, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Vybz Kartel and Central Cee have all been part of MOBO’s story.
Following Kanya’s passing earlier this year, the installation carries even greater significance – celebrating what she built and an enduring legacy that continues to champion talent, open doors and pave the way for generations to come.
MOBO Organisation said: “As we mark 30 years of MOBO, this moment is about celebrating the extraordinary vision of our founder, Kanya King CBE, and the space she created for Black music, culture and talent to be seen, celebrated and given the platform it deserved. What began with the first MOBO Awards in 1996 grew into something much bigger – a movement that has championed generations of talent and continues to create opportunities for those coming next. To see that story brought to life across Outernet, in the heart of London during Black History Month, is incredibly special.”
Scott Neal, Creative Director Culture and Lifestyle Outernet said “Kanya was a true trailblazer and an icon whose influence transformed both music and culture. Her extraordinary legacy continues to inspire generations, and we are deeply proud to partner with the iconic MOBO Organisation to honour her life, celebrate her remarkable contribution and remember the lasting impact she made. Black History Month at Outernet is celebratory and with incredible art by Caroline Chinakwe and Vince Fraser and the amazing Notting Hill carnival photo archive taken by Ian Watts we hope visitors will enjoy all of these different installations.”
The installation will remain on display until 18 November 2026, bringing the experience to a close on MOBO’s 30th anniversary – three decades to the day since the very first MOBO Awards ceremony in 1996. Further celebrations and activities marking this milestone will be announced by MOBO in the coming weeks.
Also during Black History Month, Outernet will present:
This is Us by Caroline Chinakwe
A photographic exhibition from British Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Caroline Chinakwe. Her work celebrates identity in all its forms; beauty, history, style, joy, vulnerability, strength and presence.
Chasing Your Dreams by Vince Fraser
Vince Fraser is a pioneering British Afro-surrealist artist whose work sits at the vibrant crossroads of digital art, visual storytelling, and cultural reclamation. Chasing Your Dreams unfolds as a dynamic Afro-surrealist dreamscape, where the act of pursuit transcends physical motion and becomes a metaphorical journey through ancestral memory, cultural inheritance, and imagined futures. To chase a dream is to resist erasure, to honour the legacies of those who came before, and to insist on a future where one’s visions are not only valid but necessary.
Carnival 60: Ian Watts at Outernet
An immersive installation using the Notting Hill Carnival photo archive of renowned and award winning photographer Ian Watts. Ian’s work will be transformed into an incredible visual experience across the immense Outernet screens. Ian bought his first camera in the summer of 1976 as a young teenager. Some of his friends that year suggested that he check out the Notting Hill Carnival. He decided to go and not knowing that he was about to begin an epic photographic journey that would last for decades Ian has attended and documented through his pictures every Notting Hill Carnival since 1976 bar one.
