ARTRA in London articulates South Asian art narrative

“WHAT binds together South Asian artists are shared histories, profound civilisations and colonised pasts with similar political, social, and cultural climates,” shared ARTRA Magazine Editor-in-Chief Azara Jaleel as she addressed the audience at Phillips, Berkeley Square, London, last Saturday.

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She characterised this shared South Asian spirit, remarking, “Defiance was certainly a key characteristic observed to be ever present in the works of these contemporary ‘South Asian artists.” From Pakistani artist Ali Kazim's use of indigo across his collection ‘Weight of Blue’ (2023) to Bangladeshi artist Tayeba Begum Lipi’s blue-skinned woman titled ‘Gothna as Venus’, these works refer to the coloured form of Lord Krishna, emanating the cosmic power seeped within the ‘coloured’ body, and thus starkly subverts the orientalist reading of it by empowering it with the divine. Referencing the textile work of Anoli Perera, Jaleel outlines how this shared defiance permeates art in the Sri Lankan context, expressing how the artist's unique response to imperialism through her craft-making, her engagement in textile weaving and needle point art in itself defies British academic traditions during the colonial period.

Moderated by Jaleel, the panel discussion titled ‘South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art in Britain’ explored the potency of the artistic practices and colonial histories across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while raising questions about the appetite and representation of South Asian art beyond traditional gallery formats. It hosted an esteemed group of panellists from the international art scene. This included Samdani Art Foundation President, Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) Director and Tate's South Asia Acquisitions Committee and Tate’s International Council member Nadia Samdani MBE among many others, Anita Dawood, an independent editor and editorial consultant, who has commissioned and developed publications for public institutions, publishers and galleries; and worked collaboratively on artists and curator’s books in the UK, Pakistan and Hong Kong.