Artist explores What is Seen and What is Not in new show
Osman Yousefzada links colonialism, capitalism and migration in V&A exhibition
By RITHIKA SIDDHARTHA Aug 16, 2022
MIGRATION, capitalism and climate change are among the themes explored by British Asian artist Osman Yousefzada in his new work at the V&A in south London.
A tripartite of site-specific installations, the works draw upon Yousefzada’s Pakistani heritage and commemorate the 75th anniversary of the country this weekend.
What is Seen and What is Not, as the show is titled, was commissioned by the British Council in partnership with the V&A. “It’s about having a platform to tell your own stories,” Yousefzada told Eastern Eye at the launch of his work last month. “I had these three spaces and I was going to try and connect them; I wanted people to interact with them.”
Over a span of about nine months, Yousefzada created his work – which includes three tapestries depicting abstracted figures in motion that hang at the entrance of the south London museum, an installation of wrapped objects as an ode to female migrants and finally, charpoys, wooden stools and a boat, set in the John Madejski garden of the V&A.
Wooden stools (Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
Yousefzada explained what he was trying to convey. “We all have our own stories. This starts in the grand entrance – the figurines on the tapestries are what I stumbled across in the Falnama: The Book of Omens, which looks at the world of gins, and ghouls. Those became tarot cards on the streets of Mughal India, Turkey and Iran.
“When you migrate, you flip over a fortune card, and these are the talismans for me – they give you power and tell you a story to fight another day.”
Osman Yousefzada (Photo: Tim P Whitby/Getty Images)
A second installation in the sculpture galleries – showing textile-wrapped objects cast in glass and clay and placed on shelves – hopes to give voice to female migrants, “or spaces of agency and patriarchy, of places that don’t often get told, or stories that don’t often get told”, the artist said. “The folds and the knots in clay and glass become a marker of identities and ownership of consumerism, of belonging and identity… always arriving and never unpacking. It’s like a shrine to female migration, female perseverance and resilience; the stories we don’t necessarily get told – of the preservation of domesticity of homemaking.
“It’s also about shared ownership. In a place where you probably have less space, how do you get big agency? How do you mark out your space within that space?”
Finally, in the garden, “with Queen Victoria overlooking” visitors, Yousefzada looks at the co-relationship of “textiles, the start of capitalism, colonialism and community”.
Three charpoys, with rope made from recycled textiles and incorporating wood from doors, several small wooden stools (modas), as well as a boat painted in black are a nod to the migrant experience and to climate change, respectively.
Charpoys (Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
Yousefzada said, “The boat is a signifier, a vehicle that takes you to the other side – one also of hope and fulfilment.”
The artist, who grew up in Birmingham to immigrant parents from Pakistan, attended SOAS and Central Saint Martins before doing a masters at Cambridge.
He told Eastern Eye how his work with textiles links the shared history of south Asia with Britain. “It’s kind of gone back full circle because they (the British Raj) banned a lot of the textile industries back then. It’s an idea of cycles, of movement, capitalism, or the colonial relationship. And then again, space for sharing and community.”
As both Pakistan and India mark the milestone freedom anniversaries this month (on August 14 and 15, respectively), Yousefzada reflected on what the word migrant means.
“It’s a dirty word; it’s always been a dirty word, even in Pakistan, the idea of a mohajir (Muslim migrants).
“The problem with migration is that people are just always left to their own devices. That’s why the idea of the shrines is quite interesting, or mazars, langars, ashrams [where people can gather and have a meal free of charge, prepared by volunteers], because people can actually be part of a community. So they’re kind of these remedies to that sort of migration.”
The sculpture gallery (Photo: Tim P Whitby/Getty Images)
Exploring the migrant experience is part of Yousefzada’s research as he pursues a PhD at the Royal College of Art. His work has been shown at prominent galleries in the UK and abroad, including in south Asia, the US and Europe. Yet, his pride was evident as his work was unveiled at the V&A on July 29. “I used to come here as a student and I saw myself in the south Asia galleries. It meant something to me,” he told Eastern Eye.
Asked if UK museums should return colonial treasures, Yousefzada said it was a “layered conversation” and added, “but I don’t think you can really deny the conversation of extraction of anthropology”.
Museums could collaborate and perhaps share ownership and support culture and its preservation in countries where the objects were taken from, the artist said. But he wasl also concerned that “you don’t really know how it’s actually going to be looked after as well”.
As both south Asian neighbours mark seven and a half decades since British colonial rule ended, Yousefzada said, “It’s good to have such pockets of spotlights; it’s monumental.”
And what does the anniversary mean to him? “I come from illiterate parents; I’m trying to pinch myself as I’m here trying to have these conversations,” he said.
Osman Yousefzada’s installations are open to the public at the V&A until September 25
Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.
The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty
The atmosphere in the House of Commons as tense, with about 50 Labour MPs expected to vote against the bill, reported The Times.
The government, aware of the scale of the rebellion, was reportedly considering further concessions, including delaying the most controversial measures until after a full review of the welfare system.
One of the most contentious points was the introduction of a four-point threshold for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility, which critics said would deny help to those unable to wash or dress below the waist from November 2026
Marie Tidball, one of the only MPs with a visible physical disability, delivered a moving speech, saying, “It is with a broken heart that I will be voting against this bill today. As a matter of conscience, I need my constituents to know I cannot support the proposed changes to PIP as currently drafted. Low-level support like PIP helps disabled people, keeping us out of the dark corners of hospitals, prisons and social care settings.”
She warned that the changes could put about 150,000 people into poverty.
Apsana Begum, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, has announced she will vote against the bill, citing deep concerns about its impact on disabled people.
Apsana Begum
Begum said, “When it comes to people’s lives and wellbeing, there can be no compromise. Politics should serve people – not the other way around.” She criticised the planned £3.5 billion cuts to disability benefits, calling them unacceptable.
The MP expressed strong opposition to what she described as a “two-tier system” that would force disabled people into greater hardship.
Begum also pointed out the anxiety felt by disabled constituents in her area, who have already endured years of austerity and hardship. “I say to them: I am with you,” she declared.
She also condemned other welfare measures such as the two-child limit and the “poisonous narrative” that blames people for their poverty. “My constituents voted for an end to austerity. They want a welfare system that supports people, not one that pushes into poverty,” Begum said.
“That’s why I’m voting against this cruel Disability Benefit Cuts bill”
Rebecca Long Bailey, a former Labour leadership contender, echoed these concerns. She said the planned cuts “will still push hundreds of thousands of vulnerable sick and disabled people into poverty,” adding that “existing claimants will live in fear that if the situation changes and they are reassessed, they could lose everything under the new system.”
Long Bailey criticised the government for rushing the bill through without proper consultation, warning that it would worsen human rights violations already highlighted by the United Nations
Dame Meg Hillier, who had initially led efforts to block the bill, withdrew her amendment after the government agreed to a “staggered approach.”
She told the Commons, “Divided parties do not hold power or government. If we want to power our government, if we want to see our values in this country, we have to vote for this today.” Yet she admitted that “there is still a lot to be done” to protect disabled people and those seeking work
Meanwhile, the government’s climbdown last week was prompted by a major revolt from Labour MPs who argued the original proposals went too far. More than 120 MPs had signalled their willingness to rebel, forcing ministers to water down the changes.
The new plan means the stricter criteria for sickness and disability benefits will only apply to new claimants, not those already receiving support
Secretary of state for work and pensions, Liz Kendall, presented the revised bill to parliament, but newly released government data estimated that even the watered-down reforms could push an extra 150,000 people into poverty.
This left some Labour MPs still reluctant to back the bill, with backbenchers exposing “so many holes in the government’s plans,” as one put it
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Times Radio, “We’re all trying to find a way to protect the most vulnerable people and get people back into work if they need it,” defending the government’s approach.
However, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch rejected the bill outright, calling it “a fudge” and saying, “A fundamental and serious programme to reform our welfare system is required, and this bill is not it."
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Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.
POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.
Arrests part of wider criminal probe
Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes said the three individuals were "part of the senior leadership team at the CoCH in 2015-2016" and were arrested on Monday.
He confirmed they were held on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and have been released on bail.
Hughes said the arrests were the first under the wider criminal investigation into the hospital’s handling of the baby deaths. He added that the arrests had no impact on Letby’s convictions.
Letby case and ongoing review
The case drew national attention during trials held in 2023 and 2024. Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others.
Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit. She has maintained her innocence throughout.
According to the prosecution, she attacked the premature babies—usually during night shifts—by injecting air, overfeeding with milk, or using insulin.
In February, a panel of international experts said the evidence used to convict her was flawed. They suggested the babies may have died due to natural causes or poor medical care.
Letby’s legal team has submitted an application to the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to examine if there was a possible miscarriage of justice in her two trials.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Uber Eats and Deliveroo will tighten ID checks, including facial verification, to curb illegal migrant work after UK government pressure. (Photo: Getty Images)
FOOD delivery companies Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have agreed to strengthen security measures, including facial verification checks, to prevent irregular migrants from working through their platforms, following criticism from the UK government.
The announcement came after the Labour government summoned the three firms for a meeting in response to a report by The Sun which exposed how some migrants were bypassing rules and working illegally in the gig economy sector.
Although the companies already have controls to verify workers’ legal right to work in the UK, the Home Office said "there continues to be abuse in the sector" through account sharing.
Facial verification checks to be expanded
According to the government, many asylum seekers who cross the Channel and await decisions on their asylum claims are using verified delivery driver accounts rented from others to work illegally. These individuals do not have the legal right to work while their claims are pending.
The Home Office said the delivery platforms have “agreed to increase the use of facial verification checks” to ensure “only registered account holders can work off their platforms.” The companies also committed to “combat illegal working”.
“We are taking a zero-tolerance approach to illegal working across the board,” said Border Security and Asylum minister Angela Eagle.
Immigration pressure and proposed legislation
Prime minister Keir Starmer has faced pressure from the anti-immigration Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage to reduce irregular migration. A new immigration bill currently before parliament seeks to expand police powers against smuggling networks and tighten work eligibility controls.
Since January, over 19,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats to reach the UK from France, marking a record number for this point in the year despite efforts to deter such journeys.
French officials, including former interior minister Gerald Darmanin, have said that the availability of illegal work opportunities in the UK continues to act as a pull factor for migrants making the crossing.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Joseph has chaired several BRIT Awards shows and was an executive producer of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning 2015 documentary Amy.
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS (RSA) has announced the appointment of David Joseph CBE as its next chief executive officer. He will take over the role in September, succeeding Andy Haldane.
Joseph previously served as chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK for 17 years. During his time at the company, he oversaw its transformation into a global exporter of British music and worked with several major international artists.
He began his career in advertising before moving into music, where he held roles in artist development and label management. He became chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK in 2008.
Alongside his commercial career, Joseph has been involved in a number of social and cultural initiatives. In 2019, he launched Universal Music’s Creative Differences initiative, which produced the first industry handbook for supporting neurodiversity in the workplace. The handbook has been adopted by more than 200 organisations globally.
He is a founding board member of Julie’s Bicycle, a group focused on climate issues in the cultural sector, and served on the National Council of Arts Council England for eight years. In 2013, he collaborated with Baroness Doreen Lawrence to mark the 20th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence’s murder through the Unity project. He also serves as Chair of the Grenfell Foundation.
Joseph has chaired several BRIT Awards shows and was an executive producer of the Oscar and BAFTA-winning 2015 documentary Amy.
RSA Chair Sir Loyd Grossman said: “David’s commitment to effecting social change, his compassion and his commitment to nurturing people is exemplary.
“We are thrilled that David will join us in the autumn, knowing that he will foster a collaborative and caring culture that speaks to our fellows, partners, staff teams and the wider world. These qualities make David superbly placed to lead the RSA into its next vital phase, and we are thrilled to have him on board.”
Commenting on his appointment, Joseph said: “The RSA has a remarkable heritage and untapped potential. At a time when fresh thinking and collective action are urgently needed across the globe, the RSA is uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change - uniting its rich tradition of arts, creativity and policy influence with the energy of its global Fellowship to spark ideas that shape society. I’m excited to join such a talented organisation where we will build a bold new chapter together.”
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People take part in a protest against disability welfare cuts on June 30, 2025 in London. (Photo: Getty Images)
DOZENS of Labour MPs are expected to vote against the government’s welfare reforms despite recent concessions aimed at easing opposition.
The government had initially planned to tighten eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (Pip) but later said the stricter rules would only apply to new claimants from November 2025.
Ministers also promised a review of the Pip assessment process, in partnership with disability organisations, due to conclude by autumn 2026.
More than 120 Labour MPs had signed an amendment to block the legislation, though a revised amendment supported by 39 MPs and backed by disability charities remains active.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the BBC her party would oppose the bill, saying, “The benefits bill is too high. It was £40bn just before Covid. It is now projected to be a £100bn by 2030. And what Labour is doing is not making any savings at all.”
Labour MP Olivia Blake, who opposes the reforms, told BBC Newsnight, “I strongly believe that these kind of punitive measures of cutting welfare are not going to have the outcomes that we've been told they will.”
According to Department for Work and Pensions modelling, the revised proposals could push 150,000 people into poverty by 2030, down from an earlier estimate of 250,000.
Sir Stephen Timms, who will lead the review, told BBC Newsnight the government’s measures would help reduce poverty and make Pip more sustainable.