crackdown. A collective member – Nusrat Ahmed, who has since been brought in-house as the gallery’s curator – contributed her father’s scrapbook, containing his memories of travelling during partition from Pakistan to the UK.
As the eclectic object list evolved, there were further challenges. Says Katsaros: ‘In terms of text, interpretation and design, how do you give equal weight and priority to an artifact that’s 4,500 years old and an album cover from the last decade? How do you exhibit them in such a way so that it doesn’t prioritise one over the other?’ In the end, all objects are presented in the highest conservation standard cases.
Colour and atmosphere are injected into the 372 sq m space via jewel-toned silk display case linings and graphic panels, as well as a continuous datum of hand-patinated brass
panels which runs along the exterior wall, referencing a typical South Asian material as familiar in domestic as well as sacred spaces. Walls are painted a deep ochre. Elegant furniture was sourced from Te Phantom Hand. Commissions include a new exhibition title typeface conceived by Sthuthi Ramesh, with multi-lingual caption typefaces created by Bangalore and Reykjavik-based type foundry Universal Tirst. Another striking commission is a film, Pardesi Raga, from young Manchester based artist Alina Akbar, which is screened in the central ‘project space’ – a neutral, grey-walled room within the gallery – reflecting on her memories as a second generation Punjabi immigrant. ‘It’s really beautiful,’ says Verghese. ‘When there is nothing in the space, this film will be showing. But it can also host workshops, performances. We also thought it was important that there
was a space for care. Tese often traumatic and difficult histories are very personal, and having a space where you can take some time out or meet with other people who are feeling the same way is really important.’
Te gallery opened on 18 February, and by mid-April had already received half a million visitors. Curator Nusrat Ahmed has been thrilled to see the responses: ‘Tere have been many times I’ve caught glimpses of how meaningful the gallery is, especially for those who emotionally connect to its stories and objects, lots of tears (of sadness and joy) and much gratitude for the creation of the gallery.’ She sees this approach as setting a benchmark for the future: ‘Museums and galleries have a crucial role to play in helping us make sense of what is happening around us, broadening our understanding of who we are in relation to one another.’
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