Wandsworth Wins Gold and Silver at the London Design Awards…reports Asian Lite News
Totterdown Street in Tooting Broadway and Waterman’s Green in Putney have earned gold and silver awards, respectively, at the prestigious London Design Awards 2024. This international competition celebrates exceptional designs and creative projects worldwide, drawing over 2,500 submissions from more than 30 countries this year.
Taking home the gold, Totterdown Street in Tooting Broadway has been transformed into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly community hub. Previously a functional area dominated by parking and delivery points, the Wandsworth Council reimagined the space to reflect the area’s dynamic multicultural energy. The project’s vision focused on creating a central public area for gathering, socialising, and enjoying new green infrastructure alongside active travel options.
A key aspect of this transformation was close collaboration with Tooting Market, extending its lively atmosphere onto Totterdown Street. The result is a shared-use space that benefits local businesses and encourages community interaction. The pedestrianisation is currently operating as a trial scheme, with plans for permanent additions like rain gardens and trees after community feedback is reviewed.
Earning silver, Waterman’s Green in Putney has undergone a remarkable redesign. Once a dark, underutilised patch of land near Putney Bridge, it is now a welcoming and accessible public space. The project focused on inclusivity, sustainability, and biodiversity. Enhancements include an accessible ramp, widened entrances, and open, sweeping views of the Thames.
The redesign also introduced native trees and diverse greenery, significantly improving local biodiversity and air quality by screening visitors from the busy Lower Richmond Road. This sustainable approach has turned Waterman’s Green into a natural oasis, providing habitats for wildlife and a tranquil escape for residents.
Councillor Kemi Akinola, Deputy Leader of the Council, expressed pride in these achievements: “Our recent accomplishments highlight our commitment to improving Wandsworth for everyone. Whether it’s upgrading parks, investing in roads and pavements, or enhancing active travel options, we’re creating a greener, more sustainable, and inclusive borough. These initiatives not only improve quality of life for residents but also ensure Wandsworth is prepared for the future.”
Both award-winning projects exemplify the importance of community engagement in Wandsworth’s design philosophy.
For Totterdown Street, local businesses and community members played a crucial role in shaping the design through detailed consultations. Similarly, the rejuvenation of Waterman’s Green was informed by extensive surveys and collaboration with residents and stakeholders. With 94% support from residents, the project has successfully created a space that balances environmental sustainability with community needs.
These accolades underscore Wandsworth’s dedication to sustainable, inclusive public spaces that enhance quality of life and support local businesses. As the borough continues to prioritise innovation and collaboration, these projects set a benchmark for future initiatives.
The V&A is showcasing The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence, the first major exhibition to present the monumental artistic achievements of the ‘Golden Age’ of the Mughal court (c. 1560-1660). This landmark exhibition on from 9 November 2024 till 5 May 2025 in Galleries 38 & 39, V&A South Kensington celebrates the extraordinary creative output and internationalist culture of Mughal Hindustan during the age of its greatest emperors. Shining a light on one of the wealthiest courts in the world, it tells the story of an immense early modern empire that is largely untold within the U.K. A feature by columnist Riccha Grrover for Asian Lite International.
Susan Stronge, Curator of The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence said: “This is the first exhibition to reveal the internationalist art and culture of the Mughal court. Hindustani artists, Iranian masters and even a few Europeans came together in the imperial workshops to create a new, hybrid art. We are pleased to display some of their greatest creations, many of which have never been exhibited before.”
The Mughal dynasty was founded in 1526 by Babur, a Timurid prince and ruler from Central Asia. At its peak it was one of the wealthiest and most progressive empires in the world, and extended from Kabul in present-day Afghanistan, to the borders of the Deccan sultanates in the south of the subcontinent, and from Gujarat in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east. The exhibition showcases over 200 objects across three sections spanning the reigns of Emperors Akbar (r.1556-1605) Jahangir (r.1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658) and celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity of their court workshops. Rarely shown paintings and illustrated manuscripts not seen for a generation are displayed alongside delicate textiles, brilliantly coloured carpets and fine objects made of mother of pearl, rock crystal, jade and precious metals.
A particular focus of the exhibition is the extraordinary hybrid art created in the imperial workshops by Iranian and Hindustani artists and craftsmen working in the Persian-speaking court. It explores the influence of European art brought to the court by Christian missionaries, foreign ambassadors, and merchants.
Drawing together famous, rarely seen objects from the V&A collections and significant national and international loans, this exhibition brings to life the unparalleled opulence and mastery of Mughal art. Highlight loans include bejewelled objects and precious stones, on loan from the al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait, including a precious deep red engraved spinel owned by Timur’s grandson Ulugh Beg, and later by Jahangir and Shah Jahan; an exceptionally fine Mother of Pearl shield (c. 1580), made in Gujarat, that was in the Medici collections by 1599 and is on loan from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence; and a pair of fine jade objects on loan from The Al Thani Collection: a nephrite jade dagger depicting ostriches inlaid with rubies, emeralds and pearls, and the earliest known dated Mughal jade, a mottled nephrite jade wine cup made by master Sa’da Gilani, the head of the Goldsmiths’ workshop under Jahangir.
About the exhibition:
The first section introduces the reign of Akbar, generally considered one of the greatest emperors in Indian history. Catapulted into power at thirteen in 1556, Akbar embarked on a successful campaign of military expansion and whilst his reign was tumultuous, with rebellions across their territories, it was also an inventive and innovative time creatively. Akbar championed new crafts and established court workshops, including the Goldsmiths workshop and the House of Books.
Precious objects made in these workshops are on display in this section, including two rarely seen folios from the colourfully illustrated volumes of the Hamza-Nama, or ‘Book of Hamza’, commissioned by Akbar in the 1570s, on loan from the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna, which will be reunited with a folio from the Fitzwilliam Museum. The Hamza-Nama is one of the earliest examples of Mughal painting, and assembles folk tales often told orally across the Islamic world of the Muslim hero Hamza and his followers as they battle against demons, giants and supernatural forces. These remarkable paintings demonstrate the new and distinctively Mughal style of painting that combined Safavid Iranian conventions with the very different pictorial traditions of the Hindu and Muslim artists of Hindustan. Another highlight of this section which demonstrates this Mughal style is a pictorial carpet (c. 1590–1600), on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. On display in the U.K for the first time, this two-meter-long carpet combines Iranian conventions with pictorial scenes inspired by Mughal manuscript painting.
The designs compare closely with details in paintings of the period, including the mythical hybrid gajasinha, a winged, lion-bodied, elephant-headed beast under attack by a fantastic flying bird, the simurgh. Decorative arts and metalwork of unparalleled quality also feature in this section,including a Ceremonial Spoon of chased gold and set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. The spoon combines uniquely Indian goldsmithing techniques with Iranian designs and a European form.
Also on display are paintings and engravings by Mughal Court artists inspired by European art brought to the court by Jesuit missionaries from Portuguese Goa. Portraits with European sitters are shown here, as well as paintings depicting a European style angels and religious scenes. Finally, this section includes sketches by court artists imitating European works, including studies of Albrecht Durer’s The Crucifixion from ‘The Engraved Passion’ (1511).
The second section explores the arts of the reign of Akbar’s son, Jahangir. Jahangir inherited this well-run and wealthy empire in 1605, which was described by the English ambassador to King Charles I as ‘the treasury of the world’. The splendour of court and palace ritual is explored in this section through the display of paintings and precious objects of great opulence and rarity.
A gold dagger and scabbard set with over two thousand rubies, emeralds and diamonds, on loan from the al-Sabah collection is shown next to a finely crafted jewelled jade pendant and number of imperial wine cups made of imported Chinese jade, including a wine cup on loan from The Al Thani Collection, which is the earliest known dated Mughal jade. The wine cup is inscribed with Jahangir’s titles and Persian verses in praise of wine, and was created by Iranian Master Sa’ida Gilani, the Iranian supervisor of the imperial goldsmiths’ department. These precious objects were often revealed to the court during the opulent celebrations that took place at Nowruz, or New Year, or were exchanged between members of the court at the Birthday Weighing of the Emperor.
A unique Mughal Hunting coat, made in the 1610s, also features in this section. This vibrant coat – a highlight from the V&A collection – is embroidered with animals and plants using sixteen different colours of dyed silk across thirteen panels of fine white satin. With a composition designed by manuscript painters, the coat depicts a variety of birds, hares, spotted leopards and striped tigers ready to pounce, cranes in mid-flight, and naturalistic flowers.
Finally, this section explores Jahangir’s travels across the empire accompanied by court artists and craftsmen in the vast tented encampment. His leading artists painted the animals they saw on their travels or that had been given to the emperor by ambassadors from across the globe.
On display from the V&A archive are two vividly naturalistic paintings – very rarely seen – by Jahangir’s famous artists, depicting exotic animals including a North American Turkey Cock, and an African zebra. The third and final section explores the reign of Shah Jahan, who is perhaps most famous internationally for commissioning the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan, whose name means ‘king of the
world’, presented a strong and unified imperial image – that was projected across all the arts of the court. Floral imagery reinforced the notion that the empire was a garden of paradise under Shah Jahan’s just rule, ornamenting architecture, jewellery and the art of the book. On display are tiles and embroidered textiles featuring blossoming plants and flowers, as well as albums decorated in gold, with flowers painted in the borders. A key feature of this section focuses on the Taj Mahal, the tomb built by the emperor for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. 19th century architectural drawings depicting the details of the marble inlaid with semi-precious are on display, as well as a miniature model reproduction of the Queens’s cenotaph.
The internationalism and wealth of court life comes into focus in this section, with vibrant contemporary paintings depicting formal court assemblies and celebrations as well as portraits depicting members of the imperial family. Another key object is the V&A’s famous wine cup crafted from white nephrite jade, made for Shah Jahan in 1657. Shaped with the head of a ram and inscribed with his title, the extremely fine cup is one of the most exquisite surviving objects from his reign.
The finale showcases precious stones from the Imperial Workshops, and the uniquely Mughal cuts of diamonds from Golconda. Eight rare treasures from the al-Sabah Collection are presented here, including the exceptional red royal spinel inscribed with the names of six rulers, engraved by imperial court master Sa’ida, and a 110 carat Colombian emerald pendant bead, carved with a delicate flower motif.
The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence has been supported by the Huo Family Foundation, The Al Thani Collection Foundation, Blavatnik Family Foundation, with further support from Maithili Parekh and Shashank Singh, Santi Jewels and the V&A Americas Foundation
About the V&A
The V&A is a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity. Our mission is to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge, and inspire makers, creators and innovators everywhere.
V&A South Kensington is a world of extraordinary global creativity, with unmissable exhibitions, experiences and educational programmes for all. One of London’s most iconic buildings, it is home to national collections of art, design, fashion, photography and furniture to theatre, performance, architecture, and ceramics, as well as the UK’s National Art Library. It is a place where everyone can experience a story of creativity that spans 5,000 years and every creative discipline, which brings that story to life through programmes and activities for all ages and specialisms, and world-leading research and conservation.
About the Huo Family Foundation
The Huo Family Foundation’s mission is to support education, communities and the pursuit of knowledge. Through its donations, the Foundation hopes to improve the prospects of individuals, and to support the work of organisations seeking to ensure a safe and successful future for all society. The Foundation aims to make art more accessible to all through its support for galleries, museums and centres for the performing arts.
About The Al Thani Collection Foundation
The Al Thani Collection Foundation is a non-profit organisation whose core mission is to advance and promote art and culture. This objective is principally delivered through public art initiatives including sponsorships, museum projects, the staging of exhibitions, an international loans programme and academic publications, honouring artistic achievement across a rich diversity of cultures.
About The Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation supports world-renowned educational, scientific, cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and across the globe. Led by Sir Leonard Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery, and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed more than $1 billion to over 250 organizations.
With additional support from Santi Jewels:
About Santi Jewels
Santi, founded in 2019 by Krishna Choudhary, creates a small number of highly individualistic, one-of-a-kind jewels inspired by the Mughal era, bringing a fresh and unseen modern facet to the arts of Indian subcontinent.
The coalition government’s clarification came amid reports in a section of the media that the State Waqf Board has been abolished…reports Asian Lite News
The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday clarified that the State Waqf Board was dissolved due to certain concerns and that a new Board will be constituted at the earliest.
The coalition government’s clarification came amid reports in a section of the media that the State Waqf Board has been abolished. The Fact Check Wing of the state government posted the clarification on X while reacting to a post by BJP leader Amit Malviya.
“Andhra Pradesh government strikes down the Waqf Board. There is no provision in the Constitution, which supports the existence of one in a secular India,” Malviya posted while reacting to a news channel’s report that the Andhra Pradesh government abolished the Waqf Board.
FactCheck.Ap.Gov.In, the official account of Fact Check Wing, in its post explained the reasons for the Government Order (G.O) issued on Saturday. “The Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board has remained non-functional since March 2023, leading to a period of administrative stagnation. The withdrawal of G.O. Ms. No. 47 became imperative due to several substantive concerns. These include 13 writ petitions challenging its validity, the absence of adequate representation from Sunni and Shia scholars, the non-inclusion of former MPs, the appointment of junior advocates without transparent criteria, questions surrounding the eligibility of certain members, and the inability to elect a chairman owing to ongoing litigation,” reads the clarification.
“The GoAP will take appropriate measures to address these defects and constitute a new Waqf Board at the earliest,” it added.
The TDP-led coalition government on Saturday issued an order withdrawing an earlier order issued by the previous government of YSR Congress Party constituting the Waqf Board. The then government headed by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy issued an order on October 21, 2023, constituting the 11-member Board. A MLA and a MLC were among the three elected members. The then government had also nominated eight members including two women.
As some individuals had approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court, challenging the nomination of members, the High Court in its order on November 1, 2023, stayed the election of the chairperson of the State Waqf Board.
The government’s move to dissolve the Waqf Board came after the Chief Executive Officer of the State Waqf Board brought to its attention the prolonged non-functioning of the Board and the pendency of writ petitions questioning the legality of G.O. Ms. No. 47 dated October 21, 2023, to resolve the litigations and prevent an administrative vacuum.
Peter’s chapel in Lucerne swaps out its priest to set up a computer and cables in confessional booth
The small, unadorned church has long ranked as the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But Peter’s chapel has become synonymous with all that is new after it installed an artificial intelligence-powered Jesus capable of dialoguing in 100 different languages.
“It was really an experiment,” said Marco Schmid, a theologian with the Peterskapelle church. “We wanted to see and understand how people react to an AI Jesus. What would they talk with him about? Would there be interest in talking to him? We’re probably pioneers in this.”
The installation, known as Deus in Machina, was launched in August as the latest initiative in a years-long collaboration with a local university research lab on immersive reality.
After projects that had experimented with virtual and augmented reality, the church decided that the next step was to install an avatar. Schmid said: “We had a discussion about what kind of avatar it would be – a theologian, a person or a saint? But then we realised the best figure would be Jesus himself.”
Short on space and seeking a place where people could have private conversations with the avatar, the church swapped out its priest to set up a computer and cables in the confessional booth. After training the AI program in theological texts, visitors were then invited to pose questions to a long-haired image of Jesus beamed through a latticework screen. He responded in real time, offering up answers generated through artificial intelligence.
People were advised not to disclose any personal information and confirm that they knew they were engaging with the avatar at their own risk. “It’s not a confession,” said Schmid. “We are not intending to imitate a confession.”
During the two-month period of the experiment, more than 1,000 people – including Muslims and visiting tourists from as far as China and Vietnam – took up the opportunity to interact with the avatar.
While data on the installation will be presented next week, feedback from more than 230 users suggested two-thirds of them had found it to be a “spiritual experience”, said Schmid. “So we can say they had a religiously positive moment with this AI Jesus. For me, that was surprising.”
Others were more negative, with some telling the church they found it impossible to talk to a machine. One local reporter who tried out the device described the answers as, at times, “trite, repetitive and exuding a wisdom reminiscent of calendar cliches”.
The feedback suggested there had been a wide disparity in the avatar’s answers, said Schmid. “I have the impression that sometimes he was really very good and people were incredibly happy and surprised and inspired,” he said. “And then there were also moments where he was somehow not so good, maybe more superficial.”
The experiment also faced criticism from some within the church community, said Schmid, with Catholic colleagues protesting at the use of the confessional while Protestant colleagues seemingly took umbrage at the installation’s use of imagery in this way.
What had most struck Schmid, however, was the risk the church had taken in trusting that the AI would not dole out responses that were illegal, explicit or offer up interpretations or spiritual advice that clashed with church teachings.
In the hope of mitigating this risk, the church had carried out tests with 30 people before the installation of the avatar. After the launch, it ensured that support was always close by for users.
“We never had the impression he was saying strange things,” said Schmid. “But of course we could never guarantee that he wouldn’t say anything strange.”
Ultimately, it was this uncertainty that had led him to decide that the avatar was best left as an experiment. “To put a Jesus like that permanently, I wouldn’t do that. Because the responsibility would be too great.”
He was swift, however, to cite the broader potential of the idea. “It is a really easy, approachable tool where you can talk about religion, about Christianity, about Christian faith,” he said, musing that it could be refashioned into a sort of multilingual spiritual guide that could answer religious questions.
For him, the experiment – and the keen interest it had generated – had shown him that people were looking to go beyond the Bible, sacraments and rituals.
Schmid said: “I think there is a thirst to talk with Jesus. People want to have an answer: they want words and to listen to what he’s saying. I think that’s one element of it. Then of course there’s the curiosity of it. They want to see what this is.”
The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998-the world’s first exhibition to explore this period of cultural and political change in India, at London’s Barbican Art Gallery. A feature by columnist Riccha Grrover for Asian Lite International.
This exhibition is organised by the Barbican in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi. It’s on till 5 January 2025. The Barbican presents The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975- 1998, the world’s first exhibition to explore and chart this period of significant cultural and political change in India. Featuring nearly 150 works of art across painting, sculpture, photography, installation and film, this landmark group show examines the ways in which 30 artists have distilled significant episodes of the late 20th century and reflected intimate moments of life during this time. A specially curated film season, Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970, runs alongside the exhibition.
Bookended by two pivotal moments in India’s history – the declaration of the State of Emergency by Indira Gandhi in 1975 and the Pokhran Nuclear Tests in 1998 – The Imaginary Institution of India aims to delve into a transformative era marked by social upheaval, economic instability, and rapid urbanisation.
The exhibition takes the declaration of the Emergency in 1975 and the ensuing suspension of civil liberties as a moment of national awakening, signalling how it provoked artistic responses, directly or indirectly. It surveys the artistic production that unfolded over the next two decades or so, within the turmoil of a changing socio-political landscape. Culminating in the 1998 nuclear tests, the show illustrates how far the country moved from the ideals of non-violence, which once had been the bedrock of its campaign for independence from British colonial rule.
Unfolding loosely chronologically across both floors of the gallery, The Imaginary Institution of India guides the visitor through this tumultuous time. The artists featured grapple with the shifting context of late 20th century India; some responding directly to the national events that they were living through, while others captured everyday moments and shared experiences. All of them combined social observation with individual expression and innovation of form to make work about friendship, love, desire, family, religion, violence, caste, community and protest. This has determined the four axes that shape the exhibition: the rise of communal violence; gender and sexuality; urbanisation and shifting class structures; and a growing connection with indigenous and vernacular practices.
Most artists are represented by multiple works, providing a fuller view of their practices and highlighting the aesthetic evolution in their oeuvres. In this way, the exhibition also traces the development of Indian art history from the predominance of figurative painting in the mid- 1970s, to the emergence of video and installation art in the 1990s. Primarily wall-based art in the upper galleries gives way to installations downstairs, with works presented alongside an exhibition design inspired by the transforming urban landscape of India during the period and the shifting boundaries between the public and the private; the street and the home.
Shanay Jhaveri, Head of Visual Arts at the Barbican, said: “The exhibition takes its title from an essay by Sudipta Kaviraj, which discusses the processes of instituting democracy and modernity in a post-colonial society characterised by diversity and plurality.
These negotiations form the core of The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998, a show that underscores, through powerful and evocative artworks, the essence of a truly democratic society – where people communicate, coexist, and connect on various levels, from the exuberantly sexual to the defiantly political.”
Kiran Nadar, Founder & Chairperson, KNMA, said: “The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), in its ongoing partnership with the Barbican presents the second exhibition focused on bringing visibility and critical attention to the practice of Indian and South Asian artists through selected seminal works highlighting social, political, and artistic transformations in India from 1975 to 1998. We are delighted to have loaned a substantial number of major artworks to the exhibition that energise the theme, taking viewers through a spectrum of materials, media, and content.”
Works on display include:
• Gulammohammed Sheikh’s painting Speechless City which draws on different art historical painting traditions to respond to the oppressive political atmosphere of the 1975-77 State of Emergency.
• Gieve Patel’s empathetic paintings which vividly portray daily life in the streets of India’s rapidly expanding, cosmopolitan cities in the 1980s.
• Sunil Gupta’s photographic series Exiles, from 1987, which makes visible the lives of gay men in New Delhi in and around some of its most recognisable landmarks.
• Sheba Chhachhi’s Seven Lives and a Dream, a series of photographs which juxtaposes moving and ferocious documentation of feminist grassroots campaigns in India with tenderly staged portraits of the women at their forefront.
• Meera Mukherjee’s intimately scaled and intricately detailed bronzes which, inspired by her time spent studying metal crafting traditions across India, use lost-wax casting techniques to address subjects both sacred and everyday.
• Savi Sawarkar’s bold etchings which deal with issues surrounding caste and untouchability.
• Rummana Hussain’s floor-based works which use broken terracotta pots to reckon with widespread communal violence across the nation following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992 by a militant right-wing Hindu mob.
• Installation works made from cow dung, thread, and sacred kumkum pigment by Sheela Gowda which make use of materials used as fuel, in religious rituals, and part of the everyday economy of women in rural places to interrogate the value of labour.
• A video installation by Nalini Malani in which moving image, projected on the walls and playing on monitors in tin trunks, considers the impact of India’s nuclear testing and links it to concerns around violence and forced displacement.
• Bhupen Khakhar’s exceptional paintings which tenderly evoke queer love and desire.
Participating artists:
Pablo Bartholomew, Jyoti Bhatt, Rameshwar Broota, Sheba Chhachhi, Anita Dube, Sheela Gowda, Sunil Gupta, Safdar Hashmi, M. F. Husain, Rummana Hussain, Jitish Kallat, Bhupen Khakhar, K. P. Krishnakumar, Nalini Malani, Tyeb Mehta, Meera Mukherjee, Madhvi Parekh, Navjot Altaf, Gieve Patel, Sudhir Patwardhan, C. K. Rajan, N. N. Rimzon, Savindra Sawarkar, Himmat Shah, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh, Arpita Singh, Jangarh Singh Shyam, Vivan Sundaram, and J. Swaminathan.
Accompanying the exhibition, the Barbican presents Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970 (3 Oct-12 Dec) curated by Dr Omar Ahmed, writer and international curator of South Asian Cinema. This season of documentary and narrative films from the 1970s, 80s and 90s considers the emergence of the new Parallel Cinema – one of South Asia’s first post-colonial film movements.
Like the trajectory traced in the exhibition, this was a time of shifting aesthetic choices whereby filmmakers rewrote the traditional rules of what constituted Indian cinema, opting for a creative hybridity and experimentation that fused together aspects of Indian art and culture with broader international styles.
About the Barbican
The Barbican is a catalyst for creativity, sparking possibilities for artists, audiences, and communities. We showcase the most exciting art from around the world, pushing traditional artistic boundaries to entertain and inspire millions of people, create connections, provoke debate, and reflect the world we live in.
We are an international arts and events centre rooted firmly in our own neighbourhood, collaborating with local communities and putting the City of London on the map as a destination for everybody. Central to our purpose is supporting emerging talent and shaping opportunities that will accelerate the next generation of creatives.
As a not-for-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations, including our principal funder the City of London Corporation. Every ticket purchased, donation made, and pound earned supports our arts and learning programme and enables the widest possible range of people to experience the joy of the arts.
Opened in 1982, the Barbican is a unique and audacious building, recognised globally as an architectural icon. As well as our theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, we have a large conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees, a library, conference facilities, public and community spaces, restaurants, bars, and a picturesque lakeside oasis.
We are the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, and a London base of the Royal Shakespeare Company. We regularly co-commission, produce and showcase the work of our other partners and associates: the Academy of Ancient Music, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boy Blue, Britten Sinfonia, Cheek by Jowl, Drum Works, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and We Are Parable.
About KNMA
Founded in 2010, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) is a pioneering private museum of modern and contemporary art in South Asia, with branches in New Delhi and Noida. The not-for-profit organization produces rigorous exhibitions, educational and public-focused programs, and publications. Through its rigorous and multiple programs, KNMA emphasises its commitment to institutional collaborations and support-networks for artists and creative communities, while extending its reach to diverse audiences. The museum houses a growing collection of more than 14,000 artworks from South Asia, with a focus on the historical trajectories of 20th century Indian art, alongside the experimental practices of
young contemporaries. KNMA was established through the initiative of art collector and philanthropist Kiran Nadar and is supported by the Shiv Nadar Foundation. The new standalone building of KNMA is due to open in the next three to four years, near Delhi’s Indira Gandhi international airport.
After the attack, crowds protested outside a Liverpool mosque due to online misinformation about the suspect. Imam Adam Kelwick later engaged with them, offering food, handshakes, and dialogue to ease tensions….reports Asian Lite News
A Muslim leader has been recognized for his efforts to foster unity after embracing protesters outside Liverpool’s Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in the wake of a knife attack in the northern English town of Southport in July.
Three children were killed, and 10 others — eight of whom were children — were injured in the attack. Axel Rudakubana was detained and charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article.
In the days following the attack, crowds gathered to demonstrate outside the mosque in Liverpool after misinformation was spread online about the knife attack suspect. Imam Adam Kelwick described how he approached protesters outside the mosque once tensions had eased, offering food, handshakes, and conversations.
Photographs of the peaceful exchanges, which included sharing food and even hugs, went viral, symbolizing a moment of reconciliation. After receiving the Most Impactful Imam accolade at the British Beacon Mosque Awards, Kelwick said: “It wasn’t just about me. I’m dedicating this award to the people of Liverpool, who really came together during difficult times.”
He added: “Some of the most vocal protesters, after everyone else had gone, came inside the mosque for a little tour.” The imam praised Liverpool’s residents for their unity.
“For those who knew better than to blame a whole religion for the evil actions of one person, for those who came to defend our mosque, and even for those who protested but later reflected and opened their hearts,” he said. Kelwick, also a humanitarian aid worker and long-time volunteer, expressed gratitude for the award, which recognizes the contributions of mosques and leaders across the UK.
Third-century Roman plate and bust of Emperor Hadrian alleged to have links to man convicted of illegal dealing…reports Asian Lite News
The auction house Bonhams is facing calls to withdraw a Roman antiquity from its forthcoming London auction amid claims that it was looted from Turkey.
A third-century Roman silver plate, decorated with a depiction of a river god, is lot 62 of the 5 December auction and is estimated to sell for between £20,000 and £30,000.
But Dr Christos Tsirogiannis, an affiliated archaeology lecturer at the University of Cambridge and an expert on trafficking networks for looted antiquities, has evidence that Turkish traffickers supplied it in 1992 to Gianfranco Becchina, convicted in Italy in 2011 of dealing illegally in antiquities and twice in Greece in recent years.
Becchina’s archive was seized by the police and shared with Tsirogiannis by the late Paolo Giorgio Ferri, who prosecuted traffickers in looted antiquities in Italy. The documents extend to thousands of images and other material seized from dozens of traffickers.
Those relating to Becchina detail the Roman plate and the traffickers who sold it to him, showing that it was part of a group of Roman silver objects found together, for which he paid $1.6m (£1.3m). They detail payments in instalments and even bank accounts.
Tsirogiannis leads illicit antiquities trafficking research for the Unesco chair on threats to cultural heritage at the Ionian University in Corfu. Over the past 18 years, he has identified more than 1,700 looted antiquities, alerting police forces and playing a significant role in their repatriation.
A spokesperson for Bonhams said it had confirmed the provenance of the object in line with its procedures. In June, Tsirogiannis spoke out when the same Roman plate was offered as lot 57 for sale by Bonhams for an auction in July. He suspected its link to Becchina but had only a poster of it from the dealer’s archive. His subsequent research uncovered documents relating to Turkish traffickers, including photographs of the plate in an unrestored condition in Becchina’s possession.
In July, Bonhams announced that it had sold the plate for about £74,000, more than double its estimate. Tsirogiannis has also linked a monumental Roman marble portrait bust of Emperor Hadrian, lot 61 in the same Bonhams auction, to Becchina.
The auction’s provenance or collecting history refers vaguely to the “Swiss art market”. Becchina was based in Basel and his seized archive features the head in one of his letters and in photographs.
Tsirogiannis said: “Bonhams appears not to have conducted basic provenance research, which would involve checking with the relevant authorities on whether particular antiquities may have been looted. The Italian and Greek authorities have the same Becchina documents, but they were strikingly silent after I published my research last July. Its previous appearance in the same auction house just a few months earlier is also not recorded in the provenance.”
Francesca Hickin, the head of antiquities at Bonhams, said: “It would be in our shared interest for the contents of the Becchina archive to be made accessible to auction houses, as this is currently not the case.
“Bonhams has confirmed the provenance for these two items, which is both printed in the sale catalogue and is also in the public domain. The plate was in Bonhams’ antiquities sale in July and was sold, although the buyer failed to pay in the stipulated timeframe and so the plate is now being re-offered in the December sale, at the request of the consignor. We have strict procedures in place to help us ensure that we offer for sale objects that we are legally able to sell. We have had no communication from any law enforcement agency regarding these items.”
Earlier, in a landmark auction Bonhams auction house in London set a new record by selling a lamp known as “The Lamp of Prince Sarghitmish” for approximately $6.5 million. This sale not only made it the most expensive lamp ever sold in the world but also broke the record as the most expensive glass piece ever auctioned. The bidding raised the price of the lamp from its estimated value of between £600,000 and £1,000,000, causing intense competitive bidding in the auction hall and via phones.
The Lamp of Prince Sarghitmish is one of the rarest and most important examples of Islamic glass ever offered at auction. It is creatively decorated with images from the Sultan Sayf al-Din Sarghitmish Mosque and School in the Sayyida Zaynab neighborhood of Cairo. The lamp’s historical and artistic significance, coupled with its exceptional provenance, contributed to its staggering final price.
According to Bonhams, the Sarghitmish lamp first appeared in the 19th century among the possessions of French antique collector Charles-Henri-Auguste Chiffre, who brought it to Paris. Charles-Henri-Auguste Chiffre, born in 1820, was close to the Ottoman Sultan and served as an accredited translator at the Sublime Porte. During his ownership, the lamp was exhibited in some of the most important museums in Paris, including the Louvre, and was photographed in ten art and antique books of that period.
The lamp remained with the Bougous family after Chiffre’s time, and the Nubar family used it as a vase for dried flowers. The last owner of the lamp was the heirs of Arkel Nubar, who sold it through the auction house. This extensive ownership history allowed the lamp to exit Egypt legally, contributing to its increased price and desirability among collectors.
However, the sale has raised significant concerns among Egyptian antiquities experts and officials. Dr. Abdel Rahim Rayhan, an antiquities expert, stated that the sale of this lamp is completely illegal unless ownership documents are provided. He explained that everything exhibited in public auctions is sold with forged papers. “Therefore, Bonhams is required to provide documents to the Egyptian government proving the lamp’s legal exit, as most items sold at these auctions are sold with forged papers to create a modern illegal ownership formula to justify the sale,” Dr. Rayhan asserted.
He emphasized that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has the right to demand documents proving its legal exit from Egypt before the Antiquities Protection Law 117 of 1983 and its amendments. Dr. Rayhan explained that if the lamp had exited Egypt at the time when Egypt was an Ottoman province, it would have done so under conditions where Egypt did not have jurisdiction over its antiquities and under French and British colonial circumstances.
Dr. Rayhan referred to the “UNESCO 1970 Convention,” which was signed by 123 countries, including Egypt. The UNESCO 1970 Convention is the convention on combating the illicit trade in artistic artifacts and organizing the mechanism for the return of art pieces obtained illegally to their original countries. By this convention, there is implicit approval from 123 countries not to demand the return of their looted antiquities before the year 1970. “Thus, the convention deprives Egypt of the right to demand the return of these antiquities, even though they are smuggled Egyptian antiquities,” he noted.
Paris-based Sujata Bajaj showcasing her Spacescapes at Art Mumbai
Large in size and vast in scale, Sujata Bajaj’s Spacescapes take on the most immense subject of them all, the cosmos itself. These dramatic and uninhibited orchestrations of pigment by a colourist at the peak of her powers constitute perhaps the artist’s most ambitious project in a life full of challenging undertakings.
Like outer space, the paintings have no pre-defined markers of up and down. Sujata approaches them from all directions, placing the canvas on the floor and adding layer upon layer of thin acrylic pigment, attending equally to all parts of the picture surface such that a viewer focusing on any section will find material to transfix their gaze. To evoke starlight, she uses silver foil that leaps from the canvas while darker shades recede, generating complex interactions of surface and depth.
Although these compositions unmistakably conjure the impression of deep space, they bring to mind aerial views of earthly phenomena as well: the calderas of volcanoes, icy fjords, mangrove-lined estuaries, cities lit up at night. The Spacescapes are also in some sense landscapes.
While Sujata’s recent paintings depart significantly from what preceded them, there are common threads that tie the new work to the old. Her art has always been celebratory and that remains true of her current suite of canvases. The most common title she has used for her paintings over the years is Energy, which represents an elemental, creative force that these immersive views of infinity, just like her previous works, evoke and exalt.
This event, which has now become the cynosure of many art lovers, is organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF)….reports Asian Lite News
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced that the sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), a cutting-edge international exhibition of contemporary art, starting in Kochi in December 12, 2025, will be curated by renowned artist Nikhil Chopra and his team HH Art Spaces.
This event, which has now become the cynosure of many art lovers, is organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF).
The selection of curators was made by a committee of internationally acclaimed art world figures — Shanay Jhaveri, Dayanita Singh, Rajeeb Samdani, Jitish Kallat, and Bose Krishnamachari, who is also President of KBF.
The mega show, spanning four months, will begin on December 12 featuring 60 artists and artistic practices from India and across the world, and will conclude on March 31, 2026.
Welcoming Nikhil Chopra, Chief Minister Vijayan said: “We invite the people of Kerala, the nation, and the world to join us in celebrating this spectacular event that fosters the spirit of art, community, and dialogue.”
Introducing Chopra along with his team at HH Art Spaces based in Goa, Bose Krishnamachari noted that the versatile artist’s work that blends performance, drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, and installation critically explores issues of identity, politics, history, and the body.
Nikhil Chopra, who had completed his early education in Kochi, described the KBF curatorship as an ‘incredible task’ and ‘humbling privilege’.
He had featured in the second KMB (2014) and won acclaim for his work’s off-beat approach at the Aspinwall House venue.
Highlighting the Biennale’s famed calibre to “ignite conversations about being human; poetic and political,” Nikhil Chopra hailed the eminent artistic potential of Kerala.
“The ancient, the modern, and the contemporary in the region have always been in critical dialogue with each other churning ideas and knowledge into wisdom,” he said.
“For me, the process or the journey of artwork is more central than the destination itself. I envision this Biennale as a series of moments, where one can enter and exit. For this Biennale we look at works that lean more on the process, works that are still in making as opposed to the industrial norm of valuing only the completed work. I feel it’s important to embrace the unfinished and the process,” said Chopra explaining his curatorial vision.
Bose Krishnamachari said the deep-rooted commitment of Nikhil Chopra and his team to the arts, along with their visionary approach to curating, will undoubtedly shape a remarkable chapter for the Biennale.
“Nikhil’s unique perspective, paired with the creative energy of HH Art Spaces, promises to bring fresh dialogue and innovative perspectives to this global platform. We look forward to witnessing the transformative experience they will create for artists, audiences, and the community alike.”
“In this new chapter, we will reaffirm the epithet ‘People’s Biennale’,” Bose added.
The Mahotsav aims to integrate the indigenous Bodo people residing not only in Bodoland but also in other parts of Assam…reports Asian Lite News
Five thousand cultural, linguistic and art enthusiasts will celebrate the rich Bodo culture at the 1st Bodoland Mahotsav to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday.
The two-day Mahotsav, to be held at SAI Indira Gandhi Sports Complex on November 15 and 16, will be a mega event on language, literature, and culture to sustain peace and build a Vibrant Bodo Society, a statement said.
The Mahotsav aims to integrate the indigenous Bodo people residing not only in Bodoland but also in other parts of Assam, West Bengal, Nepal, and other international border areas of the North East.
The theme for the Mahotsav is ‘Peace and Harmony for Prosperous Bharat’ with a focus on the rich culture, language and education of the Bodo community along with other communities from the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
It aims to capitalise on the richness of cultural and linguistic heritage, ecological biodiversity and tourism potential of Bodoland.
Significantly, the Mahotsav is also about celebrating the remarkable journey of recovery and resilience ever since the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord in 2020 under the leadership of PM Modi.
The peace agreement resolved decades of conflict and violence in Bodoland, serving as a catalyst for other peace settlements.
The session on “The rich Bodo Culture, Tradition and Literature Contributing towards Indian Heritage and Traditions” will be the highlight of the Mahotsav and witness deliberations on a range of the rich Bodo culture, traditions, language and literature.
Another session on “Challenges and Opportunities of Mother Tongue medium-of-instruction through National Education Policy, 2020” will also be held.
Thematic discussion on “Indigenous cultural meet and discussion on building ‘Vibrant Bodoland’ Region through culture and tourism” will also be organised with the objective of promoting tourism and culture of Bodoland region.
The gathering will include over 5,000 cultural, linguistic and art enthusiasts attending the event from Bodoland region, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, other parts of India, and from neighbouring nations Nepal and Bhutan, among others.
