Starting October 5, the Barbican will showcase ‘The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998’, the world’s first exhibition to explore and chart a transformative period in Indian cultural and political history.
Featuring nearly 150 works across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and film, this landmark group show examines how 30 artists have captured key moments of the late 20th century and reflected on personal experiences of the time. Accompanying the exhibition is a specially curated film season, ‘Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970’.
In an interview with Asian Voice, Shanay Jhaveri, Head of Visual Arts at the Barbican, shared insights into the exhibition and its significance.
About the specific period you focused on, why did you choose to cover the time frame from 1975 to 1998?
The exhibition is framed by two major events in post-independent India's recent history: 1975, when civil liberties were suspended, and the Emergency was declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and 1998, when India asserted itself as a nuclear power. For me, these two events represent significant moments of reckoning with some of the ideals on which India's democracy was founded. As a pluralistic, secular democracy, the Emergency marked the first time since 1947 that the nation collectively confronted the suspension of those freedoms, making it a crucial yet often overlooked point in our history. With Pokhran and the nuclear tests, on the other hand, India was making a bold assertion on the global stage, but this was inherently violent, contrasting with the nonviolent ideals on which our independence was achieved. This moment marks a significant shift in how we define ourselves as a nation. It coincides with a time of political change, seven years after our economy was opened to global investment, and amid the divisive communal politics and violence of the 1990s.
What is the story behind the title 'The Imaginary Institution of India' ?
The story behind the title is that I have great respect and admiration for the scholar Sudipta Kaviraj, who wrote an essay called 'The Imaginary Institution of India.' In it, he explores the complexities of creating a narrative for such a diverse country, from the colonial period through to independence. I was drawn to the title because it's poetic and captures one of the major challenges we face as a nation: the coexistence of multiple narratives within India. For different groups, India means something very different, and to suggest a singular notion of India is something that needs to be carefully considered and questioned. The text proposes this idea, and the title reflects the reality that for different communities and constituencies, the idea of India is distinct and unique.
What were some of the challenges you faced in curating this exhibition and how did you ensure that every perspective shines through?"
I was very conscious of the challenge I faced. I was interested in exploring gender and sexuality, the growing interest and connections with indigenous communities, urbanisation and the changing class structure, and of course, communal politics and violence. These were the four key themes that I distilled from this timeframe. From there, I sought out art practices that were engaging with these issues. I quickly realised that no exhibition, no matter how ambitious, can be entirely comprehensive. This exhibition doesn't claim to be comprehensive either. It doesn't represent every type of art practice happening in India during that time. Instead, it focuses on these particular themes and the artists most directly connected to them. In this way, the voices of the artists remain consistent, almost like a refrain that guides you through the exhibition. For instance, we have six works by Vivan Sundaram, six by Sudhir Patwardhan, four by Arpita Singh, and two by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh. This was the strategy I employed to guide visitors through this period of time—showcasing multiple works by each artist to reflect their ongoing engagement with these themes.
