The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
The carefully selected range of works highlights the importance of textiles in contemporary practice, the significant impact of ecological disasters across the region, and the histories of conflict, as well as the wealth of shared memories. It confronts these pressing themes and entangled memories within the region in an effort to unite what decades of violence have divided.
This exhibition, on view until 21 June, features artists such as Vinoja Tharmalingam, whose experiences of forced migration due to the Sri Lankan civil war inspire her exploration of key themes of displacement, social conflict, and the idea of home. She creates her Homecoming series, featured in the exhibition, with needlework on fabric, a material often used as a makeshift first aid, as it symbolises both the scars of war and survival.
In conversation with gowithYamo, co-curator Manmeet Walia describes this project as a labour of love, which required extensive research into contemporary practices across South Asia. She discusses the importance of an exhibition like this and the hope it carries.
This exhibition brings together 26 artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan and has taken nearly 3 years to put together. What was the process of selecting artists like for you?
It was an extensive process, and it was critical for Mrs. Salima Hashmi, co-curator, and me to travel across South Asia and carry out on-ground research. We took time to meet artists, visit their studios, and deeply engage with their practices. We also tapped into our networks within the industry to seek artists, and this led us to some truly powerful voices.
It’s been an emotional journey for me personally, filled with moments of learning, unlearning, and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This process shaped the exhibition in fundamental ways, and I see it as the beginning, a seed we’ve sown for future collaborations and conversations across South Asia.
What central theme do you think brings these diverse artists together?
(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia is an exhibition that brings forth stories rooted in lived experiences, reflecting the plurality of South Asia as a region. A region held together by collective memory and shared histories, yet marked by emphasised borders.
It is a space of overlapping cultures, mirrored languages, and intertwined traditions, where common struggles and everyday challenges persist across nations. This exhibition does not flatten these complexities but brings them into conversation, revealing the tensions and solidarities that shape the contemporary realities of the subcontinent.
Can you talk about any specific artist or artwork that you were really excited to bring to London?
All the artworks and artists in the show are special, and what excites me most is how beautifully the works speak to one another, even though most of the artists have never met. Sher Ali’s textile installation, Screen Weaves, which was especially commissioned for this exhibition, holds a particularly meaningful place. The embroidery was done by women in Kabul before reaching the artist in Melbourne, who then brought the work together. The result is a textile room that invites viewers to step inside and experience the work intimately; it's layered not only in material, but in the shared labour, geography, and quiet resilience it carries.
How do you understand the ‘Future Past’, mentioned in the title?
As the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz once wrote, “Artists bear witness to their time.” This exhibition echoes that sentiment and speaks to the urgencies and challenges of the present, as seen and felt by those living within the region. Through their expressions, these artists not only respond to the contemporary moment but also offer a quiet archive, a historical lesson for tomorrow.
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