Shakti: Nikhil Chopra - Space Oddity

About

Space Oddity is an 18 hour performance devised by Nikhil Chopra to play out over three days. During this time, he will produce charcoal drawings of members of Wolverhampton's South Asian community as well as onlookers on the walls of the Gallery, as a way of examining the role of portraiture in the Art Gallery's collection and reflecting India's colonial past. The title Space Oddity is taken from the 1969 David Bowie song, and reflects the transition of the time — women's rights, the empowerment of the working class, booming Western economies and hundreds of thousands of migrants from former English colonies. Nikhil Chopra has chosen this title to elude to the strangeness of a place, experienced by those who came to England around this time. This exhibition is part of Shakti, a collaboration with Meadow Arts who have invited contemporary artists of Indian origin to respond to and interact with historic collections of South Asian art at venues across the Midlands and Wales, including Powis Castle and Kedleston Hall. For more information about Meadow Arts and Shakti, please visit www.meadowarts.org. Costumes designed by Loise Braganza