Wolverhampton might not be the first place you’d think of when looking for contemporary Indian art but, thanks to master collector Frank Cohen, or ‘the Saatchi of the North’ (as the London-centric UK art scene refers to him), his Initial Access gallery holds one of the finest collections outside of the Indian subcontinent.
See more Indian art from Frank Cohen's collection
‘A Passage to India Part II’ follows the very successful Part I exhibition held last year at Initial Access, which introduced Frank Cohen’s extensive collection of Indian painters and sculptors for the first time to the UK market.
Though of course it’s difficult to sum up an entire scene from one exhibition – the works on show share many of the qualities we’ve seen in recent exhibitions of emerging art scenes from the Middle and Far East: an appreciation of Western art but work that is very much rooted in their cultural tradition – be that through symbol, colour, concept or theme.
Much of the work on show is provocative but beautiful and deals with subject matters inherent in daily Indian life – alongside social inequality, violence and famine there are more sedate references to developing technology, the importance of the family and the religious tradition.
We quizzed Frank Cohen on why he started collecting Indian art and how, as one of the UK’s foremost contemporary art collectors, he sees the scene changing under the current climate.
ADDRESS
Initial Access Units 19 & 20
Calibre Industrial Estate
Laches Close
(off Enterprise Drive)
Four Ahses
Wolverhampton WV10 7DZ
-
This surreal new seafood restaurant in LA is the stuff of mermaid's dreamsAt Cento Raw Bar, delectable fare is complemented by playful, oceanic interiors by Brandon Miradi
-
What’s new in the wearable world of smart glasses, and extended and augmented realityAre you ready for AR? Meta, Google, Snap and more are gearing up to compete with Apple and deliver frames-based communications devices – complete with AI integration
-
Italian-Japanese fusion’s a joy at east London’s Osteria AngelinaA Victorian warehouse in Spitalfields has been given a slick modern makeover to house a unique Italian-Japanese restaurant
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyersAn exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
-
Inside India’s contemporary art sceneEmerging and established artists are bringing the spotlight to India, where Aastha D attended the recent India Art Fair
-
Kyle Bell's films are an expression of the indigenous experience in AmericaKyle Bell, who was mentored by Spike Lee as part of Rolex's Mentors and the Protégés programme, is a self-taught video maker from Tulsa, Oklahoma
-
‘In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire’: a fervent return for India’s Kochi-Muziris BiennaleIn its fifth edition, the postponed Kochi-Muziris Biennale surpasses the intersectional, collaborative essence of previous editions, writes Aastha D
-
Bharti Kher escapes to Somerset in search of solitudeThe New Delhi-based artist presents an exhibition of new installation, painting and sculpture work following her 2017 residency at Hauser & Wirth Somerset
-
The Science Museum celebrates India’s scientific and cultural fabric with two illuminating shows -
A colonial warehouse in Kerala hosts the third Kochi-Muziris Biennale -
Special argent: a silvered family house holds its own at French sculpture park Domaine du Muy
