Assassins and Lovers

South Asia’s artists have long explored the region’s complexities; its silenced histories, shifting identities, and the emotional dualities captured so powerfully in works like Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Mere Qaatil, Mere Dildar.

This exhibition brings together artworks from Bradford’s public collection and leading South Asian and British South Asian practitioners. Their pieces reflect passion, faith, resistance, memory, and the lyricism woven through centuries of cultural expression.

From early modernists forging new artistic languages after independence to contemporary artists shaped by global movement and diaspora, these works reveal a rich, evolving visual story. Highlights include iconic imagery from South Asia’s cinematic past, such as the Umrao Jaan poster, shown alongside traditional forms like embroidered depictions of Guru Nanak and his disciples.

Together, they offer a vivid look at shared cultural experiences across generations and across continents.

Curator: Salima Hashmi
Assistant Curator: Manmeet K. Walia