A Brief History of British South Asian Art

An insightful exploration celebrating the diverse and dynamic cultural impact of South Asian artists and filmmakers in twentieth-century Britain.

The presence of the South Asian diaspora in Britain reaches back to at least the seventeenth century, but the most significant period of migration came after the Second World War. At this time many were invited to the UK to fill labour shortages or became refugees after the expulsion of Africans of Asian descent from Uganda.

A Brief History of British South Asian Art showcases the diverse creative practices of over sixty artists of South Asian descent living and working in Britain from the 1950s to the early 2000s. During the decolonisation period, many artists who had achieved acclaim in South Asia came to London to expand their artistic horizons and to contribute to shaping contemporary culture in the city. In 1980s Britain, many politicised artists of South Asian extraction found solidarity with other artistic communities – such as the BLK Art Group – who shared their experiences of postcolonial displacement and marginalisation. Although artists of South Asian heritage in Britain made vital contributions to art history, much of their work is undiscovered, and the nuances of their narratives largely unexplored.

This book, through the works of artists including Sunil Gupta, Samena Rana, Chila Kumari Singh Burman and F.N. Souza, explores the intersections of race, migration, class, gender, sexuality and disability in the context of British South Asian art and culture.

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