From Where I Stand is a new exhibition of prints and multimedia artworks featuring the work of seven international contemporary artists exploring the past, present, and future relationships between India and Scotland. Taking place at Edinburgh Printmakers from 1 October to 3 December following exhibitions in Ahmedabad and Delhi earlier this year, new commissions will be exhibited alongside existing works in print, video and installation. Artists featured are; Claire Barclay, Nishi Chodimella, Anupa Gardner, Sushanta Guha, Sonia Mehra Chawla, Shiva Nallaperumal and Swapnaa Tamhane. Exploring the intersection of arts and heritage in times of change; From Where I Stand is curated by the Future Flow fellows, a cohort of international emerging young curators based in India and Scotland brought together to foster collaboration and empower them to develop invaluable industry skills.
Devised by Edinburgh Printmakers in partnership with Flow India, the Future Flow project saw 18 Scotland and India based young art workers collaborate to ideate, commission, and deliver the new exhibition From Where I Stand and series of public events as part of British Council’s India/UK Together, a Season of Culture. 11 of these 18 curators have then worked together to develop and deliver From Where I Stand exhibition in its Scottish iteration.
From Where I Stand explores past, present and possible future relationships between India and Scotland. The exhibition title captures the curatorial desire to reject the existence of one ‘objective’ point of view when recording and analysing the political and interpersonal relationships between India and Scotland. Instead, it encourages viewers to favour multiple singular perspectives for their ability to weave together complex and multifaceted stories and form inclusive and sustainable narratives for the future. A multiplicity of perspectives is also celebrated through the selection of the seven featured artists, whose different backgrounds and lived experiences contribute to a choral account of past relationships and future propositions through new commissions and existing artworks.
Artists selected include;
Claire Barclay, the Glasgow-based artist recognised for her large-scale sculptural installations and print works. Her artworks explore the nature of materials, methods of production, functionality and the physical and psychological relationships between people and objects. For From Where I Stand Barclay has created a new series of relief prints.
Montreal-based artist and curator Swapnaa Tamhane will present a series of new works created especially for the Scottish iteration of the exhibition created with the guidance of Edinburgh Printmakers’ Head of editioning Alastair Clark.
Interdisciplinary artist Nishi Chodimella has created a three part multimedia piece including an edition of prints created using methods of screen printing, metal type letterpress and debossing as well as an audio piece and a physical floor installation using rangoli powder. Chodimella, a Masters in Fine Art graduate from Edinburgh College of Art has created work that has a focus on the notion of home, endeavouring to make it fluid and accessible by deconstructing the terminology. Their work is an aid to those who find themselves torn between places, with no distinct feeling of belonging to one place over the other.
Indian artist Shiva Nallaperumal, presents a series of abstract risographs which are a continuation of a year-long exploration of form and a personal departure from the semantic of graphic design.
Artist and researcher, Sonia Mehra Chawla returns to Edinburgh Printmakers presenting artworks part of “Entanglements of Time and Tide” a visual arts and science project exploring coastal and marine ecosystems of the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. She is presenting the video projection ‘Vital to Life’ from the series ‘Vital to Life: Drifters and Wanderers, and a set of six colour lithographs titled ‘The Afterlives: Ruin in Reverse’.
Anupa Gardner explores themes of identity and displacement through a handwoven sculptural paai, a household mat common in South Indian homes, linocuts, and screenprints. She investigates moments of human connection, sense of belonging and the interactions with each other, nature and the objects we collect.
Indian printmaker Sushanta Guha’s work focuses on grand neo-classical buildings created during the British Empire by Scots, their gradual abandonment after independence, and their rehabilitation. Through a series of newly commissioned and pre-existing prints, he shows how understanding was built between the two countries within their act of repair and exchange.
From Where I Stand is one of the outcomes of a year-long programme which sees the curatorial Future Flow fellowship explore existing and possible future connections between India and Scotland whilst learning invaluable industry skills. Future Flow endeavours to empower young curators and producers to investigate shared challenges faced by their generation. In addition to the touring exhibition a new initiative, The Living Archive will see the creation of an ongoing resource documenting the relationship between India and Scotland, exploring perspectives and histories that were previously overlooked.
The Living Archive project stands as a public resource, not only to preserve the past but as a means of preserving the present; a living archive of the here and now, the place the relationship between India and Scotland currently stands. This will be done through the maintenance of records of oral histories and shared experiences, past and present, through traditional and non-traditional storytelling. Shared submissions are available to access online as an extension of the curated exhibition space. Offline resources will also be available as part of the exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers.
Future Flow has been developed by Edinburgh Printmakers and Flow India working with the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh College of Art, and Queen Margaret University. The project is part of the British Council’s India / UK Together Season of Culture.
Speaking ahead of the exhibition artist Claire Barclay said: “The print works I make are informed by my sculptural practice, and usually presented in pairings or series that draw attention to the materials and methods of production. The relief prints I created for From Where I Stand utilized cut wood and leather shapes with which I improvised during the printing process. The resulting works seem suggestive of unfamiliar functions or redundant objects from manufacturing contexts. When making these prints I was imagining how their ambiguous sense of functionality and materiality might translate to an audience in India. The exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers provides an opportunity to learn more about these exchanges from those that travelled with the works.
I welcomed the chance to work at Edinburgh Printmakers for the first time. It is always enlightening to experience the subtly different approaches within other print workshop environments and to challenge and inspire new paths for the work through engaging with the printmaking community there.”
Artist Anupa Gardner said: “I am really excited to be showing a new piece for From Where I Stand. My piece for this exhibition examines the idea of identity and home. I have created my version of a paai, a South Indian grass mat by weaving together two prints (woodcuts) to symbolise the shifting nature of my relationship to both countries, Scotland and India.”
Artist Nishi Chodimella said: “From Where I Stand has allowed me to explore the language surrounding invasive plant species to draw parallels to mass migration of people. My aim is to spark conversation about the discourse on invasive species and to understand the nuances of the label.”
Future Flow Indian Fellow and co-curator Kashish Kochhar said: “The coming together of two places with distinct cultures and seamlessly producing something so sensitive and rich in content in different contexts, is what I think is the legacy of our program and the work we have done together. The fellowship has really rewarded me with the knowledge and motivation to pursue exhibition and curatorial design further, and it has lent me tools and ways to do the same. In all forms and shapes.”
Future Flow Scottish Fellow and co-curator Sofia Cotrona said: “The fellowship has been an incredible project as it entrusted us, young curators with great freedom and responsibilities, to shape From Where I Stand every step of the way. It was a unique learning experience which allowed me to face and overcome real-life challenges and setbacks that arise from the curation of an international exhibition, and feel prepared to pursue a curatorial career. The process of co-curation allowed me to develop invaluable relationships with the other fellows and the partner organisations. It also reflected the project’s aim of international cooperation and through this collective approach, it fostered a better platform to include a multitude of perspectives and experiences in the curatorial narrative of the exhibition.”
Edinburgh Printmakers CEO Janet Archer said: “Future Flow has been an exciting learning opportunity for young adults interested in curating and producing art exhibitions, supported by established professionals working in the visual arts, printmaking and cultural management.
In a world that is changing rapidly, this is an important moment for a global conversation inspired and led by young people. Future Flow addressed issues around environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion as the Fellows developed their curatorial vision for this exhibition. From Where I Stand explores the intersection of arts and heritage in times of change, starting from the premise that to influence our future, we need to comprehend our present, and understand our past.”
Jonathan Kennedy, Director Arts India, British Council, said: “The India/UK Together Season of Culture celebrates India's 75th anniversary of independence and the friendship and strong cultural ties between India and the UK. The must-see exhibition From Where I Stand demonstrates the curatorial prowess and talent of young artists in Scotland and India, culminating in an exhibition of prints that depict the past, present, and future relationships between the two countries. It is wonderful to see how the artists have created the new prints and made the exhibition by combining their design expertise with a passion for printmaking, digital innovation, sustainability, and global equality.”
Image: Nishi Chodimella, Where are you Standing?, 2023
