London Art Exhibition – Cultural Coalition, Langley Street, Covent Garden, London 14th-25th July
Hyde House, Langley Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JG
Monday 14th July — Friday 25th July 2014
Open daily 11am — 8pm
Private View – Thursday 17th July 5-8pm
ANGLO INDIAN COALITION
Visions of Mughal India, Howard Hodgkin’s collection of Indian Art which he amassed over a half a century went on show at the Ashmolean Museum Oxford in 2012. The Ashmolean interviewed Hodgkin on the eve of this and commented: “Hodgkin’s interest in Indian art began in adolescence under the tutelage of an art master at Eton, Wilfred Blunt. India, when he began visiting in 1964, must have been a stunning contrast after grey England. Hodgkin’s collection, each work chosen for its ‘intensity of feeling – a shot in the heart’, and with a painter’s eye, is among the most distinguished in the world (Ashmolean Museum Publication).
With great respect for all Indian culture and with this quotation in mind, Plastic Propaganda is show-casing the coalition between the UK and India. India is in a naissance stage of Contemporary Art; we have observed many differences and many similarities between the two cultures and hope you enjoy the juxtaposition between the two. We hope also that you will see here a continuance of the “intensity of feeling – a shot in the heart” with which so many artists reflect their own culture.
The UK has a ‘special relationship’ with India which is based on strong ties of shared history, and by a cultural bond that has been richly celebrated in art, literature, film and music for generations.
Despite 60 years of independence, the UK and India still have this special connection, which is intensified through the movement of people. The colonial links and the shared language encouraged a constant movement of people from India to the UK, even prior to independence. The continued flow means that people of Indian origin are today the largest ethnic minority group in the UK. There are over 1 million people of Indian origin in the UK making up almost 25% of the UK’s ethnic minority population.
At a social level, the links that the UK shares with India are very deep and important but these links have not always translated into a shared outlook. For some, the relationship is still overshadowed by the memory of the Raj and the need for atonement for historic wrongs committed; ill-treatment of ordinary people in India, the arrests and massacres of those who demanded democracy and independence, the man-made famines and the economic exploitation.
This complicated relationship therefore raises many political and ethical questions – some of which have been addressed by the contributing artists in this show.
Exhibition date: 14th to 25th July
Contact William Henry: williamhenry16@btinternet.com / 07775 916737