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 curateM. F. Husain, Safdar Hashmi, 1989 Courtesy of Emami Group of Companies film season, Rewriting the Rules:Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970, will run 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–TheImaginary Institution of India aims to delve into a transformative era marked by social upheaval, economic instability, and rapid urbanisation.
Find out more about the show here.