Developed by John Hansard Gallery, in partnership with Art Asia, Southampton, Mela Monument presents newly commissioned work by artist Permindar Kaur in collaboration with Rabia Raja and Ren Wooldridge.
This exhibition illustrates the mentoring sessions provided by Permindar Kaur, with images shown of workshops conducted alongside the final Mela Monument. The project celebrates South Asian arts, culture, and community contribution, as well as promoting multicultural heritage and identity.
In the UK, Mela is one of the most popular forms of festival, celebrating and representing the evolving and rightful existence of the diverse British cultures and communities. The word ‘mela’ is based on the Sanskrit word meaning ‘a community gathering or meeting’. Mela festivals in the UK, in their many forms, have remained true to this sense of people and communities congregating together in an atmosphere of festivity.
Mela Monument is part of Co-Creating Public Space, a programme led by John Hansard Gallery which aims to give local communities agency to engage with and activate our shared public spaces. Co-Creating Public Space is led by John Hansard Gallery and supported by Arts Council England, Southampton City Council, University of Southampton and GO! Southampton.
The Southampton Mela Festival in Hoglands Park has been running for two decades, and now attracts around 30,000 people a year, who come to enjoy a fusion of music, dance, and family activities.
Permindar Kaur (b. Nottingham 1965). Her artistic practice extends over more than three decades during which time she has become one of Britain’s most innovative artists. Known as much for her deft manipulation of materials including glass, metal, and fabric, as for her evocative exploration of home, childhood, memory and cultural identity, Kaur’s practice defies easy categorisation. With its fastidious regard for scale and form, Kaur’s work is both alluring and contemplative.
Rabia Raja (b. London 2001) and later moved to Dorset to study Fine Art at Arts University Bournemouth. In the final year of her degree, she relocated to Southampton to be more involved in the arts community. Since moving, she has been a part of exhibitions with ‘a-space’ arts, as well as joining The Arches Studios to continue her practice after graduation. Rabia is now working on developing her sculptural practice through experimentation, group and solo exhibitions.
Ren Wooldridge is a multidisciplinary artist, with her practice including painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Her work draws on personal lived experience, exploring feminine psychological dynamics. Growing from a personal narrative to a collective subjectivity, it is intimate yet universal in its relevance. Clay is a dominant material in her work, her processual engagement with the medium and embodied methodology of making shaping her current studio practice.