Frieze may be the headliner arts event in London this month, but several other exhibitions are debuting in the city simultaneously and are culturally significant in their own right.
“Syncretic Voices,” featuring contemporary art from the South Asian diaspora and modern design from India, is one example. Rajan Bijlani, 40, a British Indian collector and curator, conceived the show in collaboration with the art advisers Truls Blaasmo and Michael Jefferson, a former senior specialist in 20th-century design at Christie’s.
Bijlani is hosting “Syncretic Voices” in his townhouse, Fonthill Pottery, the former residence and studio of the celebrated British ceramist Emmanuel Cooper. Located in Primrose Hill, Fonthill Pottery is a short walk from Regent’s Park, where Frieze is held.
The exhibition will showcase the works of six artists and Bijlani’s sizable collection of design work by the architects Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier in Chandigarh, India, in the 1950s and ’60s.
Bijlani’s family was displaced by the India-Pakistan partition in 1947 and relocated to London in 1965.
He said that his heritage informed the exhibition and his collection. “The partition of India and Pakistan led to mass migration, including my own family’s departure from the continent to the U.K,” he said. “This moment of change also saw the blossoming of a modern India, symbolized by the construction of Chandigarh, the city which inspired me to start collecting.
“This exhibition was born from the sense that there was a lack of representation for South Asian artists in the U.K.,” he added.
In an interview by phone and email, Bijlani spoke about his impetus for collecting, the purpose of “Syncretic Voices” and the South Asian art scene. The conversation has been edited and condensed.
Why did you decide to exhibit the show during Frieze London?
Born and raised in London, I’m proud of our multicultural and secular values. London is a global melting pot where artists and practitioners from South Asia can meet, converse and collaborate. I thought this was a good moment to celebrate this fact. During Frieze Week, curators, institutions, gallerists and collectors all converge on our city, making it a wonderful convening moment for the global art world.
My home, the venue for the exhibition, is an unconventional space with an incredible artistic history. As it’s only a five-minute walk from Regent’s Park, where Frieze is located, it made sense to host my inaugural exhibition here during this event.
The South Asian art market has seen remarkable growth. What role do you think exhibitions like yours play in elevating the global visibility of South Asian art?
As the South Asian region grows in economic importance, it is natural that the art market flourishes. There is a much greater focus on all forms of culture and, in particular, contemporary art. What is missing are group shows that bring together artists from different regions of South Asia, and I hope “Syncretic Voices” is able to contribute to this gap in meaningful ways.
With high-profile sales, South Asian art is gaining recognition for its cultural significance and investment potential. How do you navigate the intersection of artistic value and financial opportunity?
We never approached the artists and curatorial premise from a commercial angle. We wanted to create a welcoming environment so the art can be experienced in a unique setting.
Michael, Truls and l believe that any art, especially abstraction, emerging from a place of sincerity, coupled with skill and beauty, will resonate with people, both now and in the future.
How do you envision Fonthill Pottery’s space enhancing the dialogue between art, history and contemporary practice?
The exhibition aims to highlight diverse practices, uniting contrasting artistic disciplines in a single, cohesive experience while paying homage to the rich history of arts embedded in the building itself.
For me, this represents a fusion of history and celebrates the present, synthesizing different eras and points of reference for a new life in the 21st century. It’s also a metaphor on how it feels to be alive at this moment, with an integrated worldview due to ease of travel or proliferation of technology.
But the question is, what do we do with this great power and access to all that has come before, and how do we gather the best of what is available to tell new stories? I think to experience art in a domestic environment does something else to the art and its viewer, it feels less clinical than a white box, and lends itself to a more quotidian experience.
The exhibition draws on diverse artistic disciplines. How do you balance the different mediums and practices to create a cohesive experience for the audience?
Each artist brings something unique to the exhibition. I think they resonate with each other because they all have an authentic approach to their material and how they execute their work. We wanted to create a similar balance of ideas through our curatorial approach.
The “Reflectors” by Rana Begum converse in interesting ways with the pigments in of Vipeksha Gupta’s pieces. Harminder Judge shows processed-based materiality, which is in dialogue with Lubna Chowdhary’s intricate ceramics; the glazes she uses link to the sinuous brushwork in the work of Tanya Ling and Soumya Netrabile.
The overall color palettes are bright and vivid, something that reminds me of the sights and sounds of South Asia. Seeing them in conversation with the subdued tones of the furniture is a distinctive contrast.
You started collecting 20 years ago. How has your approach to collecting evolved since?
When I originally witnessed the patinated wood against the backdrop of Brutalist concrete, I fell in love with the furniture and I wanted to live with it, use it every day and also preserve it. So, I began collecting it.
Since then, my interests have widened to design, art, photography and architecture, and I’m constantly inspired by the artists I meet and the conversations I have with them. It’s been a natural evolution.
The post An Artistic View of the South Asian Diaspora and Modern Design from India appeared first on New York Times.
