29 January – 7 May 2010
Saatchi Gallery (London)
Installation view
Courtesy the Saatchi Gallery, London
Despite a sluggish world economy, Indian contemporary art continues to garner attention. So has it also drawn the attention of Charles Saatchi, the personality behind Britain’s largest private collection of contemporary art. The Empire Strikes Back features works by established and emerging Indian artists, most of whom have never been shown in the UK before. The Raj and its legacy and the failure of Gandhi and Nehru’s hopes for a harmonious independent and secular India remain rich subjects for many of the artists, while others have turned their focus to the country’s rapid urban expansion, slums and other issues facing India today.