South Asian Art Exhibition Opens at Cartwright Hall

Tuesday, 11 August 2026 09:14

A major exhibition exploring modern and contemporary South Asian art is being presented at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery.

A new exhibition bringing together influential modern and contemporary South Asian artists is being presented at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford.

Assassins and Lovers has been curated by acclaimed artist, educator and cultural commentator Salima Hashmi, with Manmeet K. Walia as assistant curator, and draws works from Bradford’s public art collection.

The exhibition features artists from India, Pakistan and the British South Asian diaspora and explores themes including love and loss, devotion and dissent, memory and migration.

It takes inspiration from Mere Qaatil, Mere Dildar – My Assassin, My Beloved, the celebrated poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, which was later immortalised in song by renowned vocalist Malika Pukhraj.

The exhibition also traces the development of modernism in South Asia and examines how artists responded to independence, the legacy of colonialism and growing international influences during the twentieth century.

Among the internationally renowned artists represented are Anish Kapoor, Amrita Sher-Gil, Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Bhupen Khakhar, Anwar Saeed and Nilima Sheikh.

Curator Salima Hashmi has a longstanding connection with Cartwright Hall, having been an artist in residence at the gallery 21 years ago and contributing to previous exhibitions in the 1990s. Her work Zone of Dreams is also currently displayed at the gallery as part of The Big Picture exhibition.

Hashmi said the works reflect the “rich complexities of South Asian experience”, exploring affection, conflict, memory and resilience while showing how artists continue to respond to histories which remain relevant today.

Bradford Council is encouraging residents and visitors to see the exhibition, which is running alongside a number of other displays at Cartwright Hall, including (Un)Layering: The Future Past of South Asian Young Artists’ Voices and The Big Picture.

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