Best of British contemporary art on India tour from January

KOLKATA: Showcasing the best of art being produced by leading contemporary artists in Britain, an upcoming four-city art exhibition in India will grapple with the relationship between self and place in a world of transitory identities and contested geographies.

Culled from the art collection of British Council, the exhibition 'Homelands' which will travel to New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai from January is a unique take on contemporary British art by Indian curator Latika Gupta.

Including more than 80 works by 28 leading modern and contemporary artists, 'Homelands' excavates the idea of a 'homeland' to reveal a rich plurality of meaning; ideas of belonging, alienation, history and memory.

The collection includes works by four Turner Prize winners - Jeremy Deller, Richard Long, Grayson Perry and Gillian Wearing.

Four of the showcased artists are being invited to visit the exhibition in India, including Mona Hatoum, Suki Dhanda and Zineb Sedira. During their stay, the artists will engage with audiences, through seminars, curator-led walks, outreach activities and workshops.

Curator Latika Gupta says the collection raises questions like what constitutes a homeland - ethnicity, language, religion, customs or beliefs.

"Today, many of us move across national boundaries. We are born in one country, we make another our home. In the criss-crossing of political, social and cultural borders, we live our lives through hyphenated identities: belonging here and there; inhabiting multiple places - both physical and metaphorical," she says.

Rob Lynes, Director, British Council India, says, "It asks such fundamental questions about a world that's changing in front of our eyes, about the sometimes bewildering identity crisis that, for so many of us, constitutes modern life. 'Homelands' demonstrates that art can help us learn about the world around us: but also, that it can help us learn about ourselves".