Why this year’s Diwali Inspired Tate Winter Commission is such a hit?
Remembering a brave new world by Chila Kumari Singh Burman
I must admit, when I first came acrross the images of Chila Kumari Singh Burman’s Tate Britain Winter Commission I thought to myself “Wow, what a Kitsch Galore!”. Shortly after Tate Britain’s annual Winter Commission was unveiled on 12th of November to its visitors, social media went bonkers — It probably helped that London was in its second lockdown and all indoors activities were on hold. The lighting up of the commission titled remembering a brave new world coincided with Diwali and combines Hindu mythology, Bollywood imagery, colonial history and personal memories. Though very Instagrammable, I wanted to see the installation in real life. It did help that I live walkable distance from the Museum itself and after a long week day stuck at home, I saw it as a nice evening excercise. For a Thursday evening, there was definetely an outdoor concert vibe. People were not only posing infront of the neon lights but formed a social gathering, sticking around. Following months of isolation and uncertainty, I put my aesthetic judgement aside and decided to admire the intricate details of the vinyl, bling and lights covering the façade of Tate.
The many illuminated deities, shapes and words are joined by Lakshmibai, the Rani (queen) of Jhansi (Lakshmibai I later found out was a fierce female warrior in India’s resistance to British colonial rule in the 19th century). As an artist Burman is internationally acknowledged for her radical feminist practice, spanning printmaking, drawing, painting, installation and film. Her body of work is a combination of Bollywood bling meets Pop art, with lashings of colour, glitter and a defiant refusal to be constrained within a single approach or interpretation. Examining her self-expressive work in which Burman mashes up stereotypes to create new identities, beyond the limitations imposed on South Asian women in a British cultural context , one can see traces of her Punjabi and Liverpudlian heritage.
Burman was a member of the British Black Arts movement in the 1980s and one of the first South Asian women to make political art in the UK. Therefore, in the light of Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and inequalities faced due to the global pandemic it certainly makes sense to invite Burman for Tate Britain’s fourth Winter commission following artists Anne Hardy, Alan Kane and Monster Chetwynd. The commission opened at a time coinciding with Diwali, Festival of Light — a celebration of new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. remembering a brave new world takes inspiration from the luminous struggles and victories of the past to offer hope for a brighter future. For once, I am going to be optimistic about the messaging and background information of the artwork itself and let the excessiveness of its glittery lights and vinyls surmount my prejudice.
