Artists collaborate with 700-year-old venue to celebrate south Asian Heritage Month

St Mary's Guildhall, a 700-year-old Grade-1 listed heritage venue, has collaborated with leading south Asian artists to celebrate the rich culture intertwined with Britain's history.

The Guildhall, which survived World War II Luftwaffe bombing raids and underwent a £5.5m restoration last summer, will mark south Asian Heritage Month by hosting 'What We Wore: Stories of south Asian Textiles' in partnership with Coventry Artspace from July 22.

The free exhibition forms an integral part of St Mary's Guildhall's community engagement programme, funded by the Heritage Fund through the support of National Lottery players.

Curated by Coventry-based artist Hardish Virk, the exhibition draws inspiration from his archive 'Stories That Made Us.'

This archive contains thousands of artefacts documenting the south Asian experience in Coventry and beyond since World War II.

It includes audio recordings and writings of Virk's late mother, Jasvir Kang, an author, activist, and radio broadcaster, as well as clothes, jewellery, photographs, music, artwork, and books collected by Virk.

Niamh Carton, community engagement manager at St Mary’s Guildhall, expressed excitement about telling personal and universal stories through the exhibition, recognising the significance of fabric and clothing as channels for storytelling and communication.

Virk highlighted the importance of authentic storytelling in the south Asian heritage project 'Stories That Made Us,' emphasising the global influence of south Asian textiles and fashion showcased in the exhibition.

While Mindy Chillery, executive director of Coventry Artspace expressed enthusiasm about enjoying treasures from the archive in the beautiful setting of the guildhall, encouraging artists to draw inspiration from Coventry's south Asian stories and their influence on British art and culture.

The exhibition will feature new artworks in response to the textiles, fashion, and patterns found in the 'The Stories That Made Us' archive, including digital artworks by south Asian visual artists Tejal Gohil and Daya Bhatti.

While south Asian Heritage Month takes place from July 18 to August 17, the exhibition at St Mary's Guildhall will continue until the end of September.

This extended duration enables visitors to immerse themselves in the rich history and personal stories preserved by the archive and engage more deeply with the exhibition.

To kickstart the exhibition, a special upcycling workshop hosted by Bhatti is scheduled for Saturday, July 22 at 2 pm.

During the workshop, visitors will be encouraged to use clothing as a canvas for self-expression, transforming old clothes into wearable art.

This creative endeavour aims to respond to the pieces showcased in the exhibition and pays homage to the guildhall's historical significance as a medieval textile hub for the city's merchants.

The official launch of the exhibition is scheduled for Friday, July 28 at 6:30 pm.

The event will feature performances by Srividya Venkat, a talented south Indian Carnatic violinist, and Anandithya Venkat, who will be providing keyboard accompaniment and acting as a translator.

During the launch, attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy live music renditions of Kang's Punjabi poem 'My Mother's Sari' and Bengali poet Sri Rabindranath Tagore's poem 'Keep Walking Alone.'

In addition to the musical performances, Mehru Fitter, a prominent advocate for sharing Coventry's multicultural history and identity, will host two insightful talks.

The first talk is scheduled for Saturday, August 5, and the second for Saturday, September 2.

These talks will explore the garments worn by UK's south Asian migrants and the influence of African textile heritage, as a significant number of south Asians moved to the UK via African countries.

In this project, south Asian refers to individuals and communities with Bangladeshi, Indian, Kashmiri, Pakistani, or Sri Lankan heritage, including the diasporic south Asian communities of Kenya and Uganda.

It respects the intersectionality and diversity of being (British) south Asian, acknowledging the right for individuals to self-identify and recognise dual or mixed heritage.

South Asian Heritage Month 2023 seeks to celebrate the diverse and vibrant community's unique stories, connecting people through art, writing, music, fashion, and food.

The focus is on exploring themes such as identity, community, gender, faith, and family to foster unity and belonging within the south Asian community.

For those interested in attending, tickets are available at www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk