From From - Södertälje Konsthall 26 May - July 1

Munish Wadhia’s art seeks to explore painting as a decolonial practice, to reorientate his world view and give meaning to his experiences and ancestorial inheritance. It is through a rethinking and delinking from modernity and coloniality where he as an artist finds the freedoms to think, play and (re)imagine.

The landscape paintings in the exhibition are based on Hindu Mythological prints. The landscape outside Södertälje where Munish Wadhia lives seem very similar to the pastoral landscapes in the paintings. Some of these landscapes can also be seen on the big screen in the space. The vase with flowers seen in the big carpet in the center of the space is from a book by Owen Jones, “The grammar of ornament”, with illustrations of artefacts and designs from the 1854 Colonial Exposition in London. The other design on the carpet is taken from a design by William Morris. (William Morris and Owen Jones were part of creating what today is the Royal College of Art in London. They also were part of creating the South Kensington model that was taken to the colonies. Munish Wadhia has a master´s degree in painting from the Royal College of Art, and by his investigating its history we can see historical loops and the hybridity of European aesthetics.

Maja-Lena Molin, Artistic Director, Södertälje konsthall