A ground-breaking initiative called The Gallery, conceived by Artichoke in collaboration with public artist Martin Firrell, is currently showcasing 11 unique artworks, consisting of seven selections made from a global open call that garnered nearly 900 submissions and four pieces commissioned directly. These captivating pieces are being displayed on numerous outdoor digital screens and billboards throughout the four nations. The Gallery represents a pioneering approach to public art, reimagining the concept of a cultural institution by breaking down traditional boundaries.
Curated by Bakul Patki, Season 3 of The Gallery invited artists to explore the theme, "No But Where Are You Really From?" Collectively, these diverse and engaging artists offer intricate, challenging, and imaginative perspectives on topics such as identity, heritage, origin, belonging, and the essence of being rooted in a particular place.
A part of the exhibition, Azraa has explored her British-Indian identity through her piece and spoke to Asian Voice about the same.
Exploring a complicated relationship with one’s own identity
“No But Where Are You Really From?” is a question Azraa has been asked too many times as people try to pinpoint ”otherness”. Her response to such questions is “Brit-ish”. “Brit-ish” is about identity, belonging and otherness. It is a visual representation of Azraa’s often complicated relationship with her South-Asian and British identity that is further convoluted by Britain’s colonial past and somewhat politically turbulent present.
Detailing her contribution to the exhibition, she says, “The work references my time spent living in the South Lakes, where I am photographed wearing traditional South Asian dress against the backdrop of the idyllic English countryside. Despite the romance associated with the countryside, rural areas can sometimes feel isolating to people of colour.
The Union Jack which for some might be a symbol of patriotism and celebration, but for others has become a signifier of fascism and colonialism, hijacked by right-wing groups. Each component playing on the viewer’s perception of what belongs and what does not.”
What inspires me and how I wish to inspire
Of the many artists engaging with identity politics, addressing race, gender, and cultural heritage in their work, challenging norms and power dynamics, Azraa has been mainly influenced by incredible artists like Lubaina Himid, Ingrid Pollard, Chila Kumari Burman, Frida Kahlo, Mona Hatoum, Shirin Neshat, The Singh Twins, Sarah Maple, Shadi Ghadirian and Sutapa Biswas.
Of how she wishes to connect with and inspire the audience with her work, she says, “I would hope that my work would speak to people from all walks of life, initiating individual interpretation on the many layers of the work whilst promoting debate and meaningful conversation.
“The Gallery has taken the artwork beyond the walls of a traditional gallery space which would normally feel safe, calculated and familiar, instead the artwork is shown on a grand scale to the nation, as subtle interventions to daily life which tackle important questions and themes. This makes me feel a little vulnerable, not knowing how the work will be received as it can be perceived as quietly political. I hope people from South-Asian and other Global Majority backgrounds can resonate with or find some meaning in the work and individuals can consider what Brit-ishness means today. “
She advices upcoming artists to let their art reflect their unique identity. She says, “A certain level of vulnerability and risk-taking is required to create something meaningful. Don't be afraid to delve into challenging or emotional aspects of your identity—it's through this that you can create impactful art.”
The effort behind creativity
In Azraa’s words, her creative process starts with thinking about themes, narratives and issues that are important to her in relation to my identity, culture or politics. “This culminates in an idea that I have to find a way to translate into a piece of work, whether that be through photography, painting, poetry or drawing”, she says.
“The concept comes quickly and I tend to scribble down the rough idea in a notebook and then go on to creating the work without much prior preparation or any preliminary sketches, instead I head outside to take some pictures or begin working away on a large canvas”, she further adds.
Azraa has summed up the notions of belonging in relation to Britain, her birthplace and home, and India, a place she has never been, in a beautiful poem.
I speak to my nana in broken sentences,
Stringing together phrases of Guajarati and English.
We talk about home and mangoes and sugar cane,
I’m left nostalgic for a place I haven’t been.
Living in the spaces between two continents,
England and India a child of diaspora.
Britain is colonial histories,
wealth built off the backs of black and brown people.
Its hands washed and sweeping under the rug.
It’s Brexit and deportation,
its liberation based on western feminism.
It’s make our curries and drive our taxis but don’t take our jobs.
It’s a white man fighting his own war on terror, “go back to your country, you don’t belong
around ere”
Brit-ish Asian is a reconciliation, of what is and what has been.
Existing despite the forces that try to change the way you dress and speak.
Stitching together separate pieces and places,
its Air Forces and Asian clothes, madrassa at 5, it’s taking samosas to the Christmas
party, Bollywood and grime.
Its rewriting the narrative and reclaiming spaces,
it’s existence despite the resistance.
