The triumph of light over darkness at Tate Britain
It is no coincidence that Tate Britain’s Winter Commission this year opened to coincide with Diwali. Created by British Asian artist Chila Kumari Singh Burman, the piece — titled “Remembering a Brave New World” — is a celebration of her Indian heritage. Diwali is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. It signifies new beginnings. And that is what this beautiful pop of colour on the London riverbank represents too.
The installation is a commemoration of India and what the country represents — both to the world and to Burman. And as someone who hails from said country, it filled me with a lot of joy when I was able to recognise and remember the stories behind the little trinkets displayed for the world to see. Like the idols of Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesha made out of lights with a little plate of the latter’s favourite sweets in front of him, or the menacing tiger, which is the national animal of India.
Another thing I really admired was how Burman has managed to add a significant amount of symbolism to her works. The “without us there is no Britain” pro immigration message is pretty powerful, especially when you come from a country that has been a victim of British colonialism. Being the child of Indian immigrants herself, she uses her artwork to critically examine the situation of South Asian women through herself, her family, her parents and her grandparents.
According to the Tate website, “Burman is celebrated internationally for her radical feminist practice, spanning printmaking, drawing, painting, installation and film. Her Punjabi and Liverpudlian heritage enrich her self-expressive work. Burman mashes up stereotypes to create new identities, beyond the limitations imposed on South Asian women in a British cultural context.” And that is very much reflected in her work at the Tate right now. Some examples I could spot were the playful girl captioned as a ‘Punjabi Rocker’ and the beautifully imposing Hindu goddess Kali — who represents liberation or power — along with the Rani (queen) of Jhansi and Rani Lakshmibai, the warrior queens who were pioneers in fighting for Indian liberation from the British.
Since this installation is a celebration of Burman and her heritage, she also managed to include a bit of her personal life into it. In almost everything she does, you will find an ice-cream cone integrated somewhere. She once bought and turned an ice cream van into an art gallery. She even made an installation of upside-down ice cream cones all painted in fluorescent rainbow colours and dipped in glitter. The story goes that when her family arrived in Merseyside from India, her father couldn’t find work and decided to sell ice cream out of a van. So ice cream holds a lot of importance in her life. And at Tate Britain, a neon version of that very van bearing the family name is proudly parked up on the steps for the world to admire.
Burman’s beautiful work represents a lot more than her heritage, especially right now, when there is so much uncertainty as the world grapples with the unknown. It is a celebration of a brave new world, a world born from the ashes of the past, bringing in a wave of bright colours and hope. In a year where the world has dealt with a lot of darkness, a deadly pandemic and the sense of defeat and hopelessness that came with it, this burst of neon on the London riverbank acts as a symbol of love, hope and truth. It is shining light over darkness. Showing us that love can triumph over hate, good over evil. It takes inspiration from the wins and losses of the past, and offers us hope for a more colourful, brighter future.
And truth be told, we could all use a little bit of that right now.
