The Indian-origin artist, Chila Burman, has brought light into the darkness of London by decorating Tate Britain, one of Britain’s most visited museums, with a swirl of blazing neon lights and a pantheon of Hindu deities for Diwali.
“Cherry pickers”, rather than cranes, were used to elevate engineers to the highest reaches of the building where the figure of Britannia with the Union flag has been covered with Kali and the words, “I’m a mess.”
“That’s how I and so many people feel when we get up in the morning,” joked Chila, “but it’s also a political message to reflect the state of Britain today.”
She added: “There’s all this discussion about systemic racism and colonialism.” Chila’s art work might need a little explaining to foreigners but not to Indians.
“I have got Laxmi, Ganesh, Hanuman and bows and arrows to symbolise the Ramayana,” she told The Telegraph. “I’ve done a whole collage of Jhansi ki Rani on one column and Bollywood girls on another.”
“In the centre of the installation is a depiction of the third eye, suggesting the route to higher consciousness,” the museum said.
Chila was born in Liverpool and the ice cream van at the bottom is a throwback to how her late father survived when he first came to Britain from the Punjab in the 1950s.
Invited by the Tate to undertake the museum’s “winter commission” in the middle of November, Chila suggested to the directors: “That’s about the time Diwali is this year.”
Tate Britain’s director, Alex Farquharson, enthusiastically embraced the idea and said: “Although our museums and galleries remain closed, I’m delighted that we are still able to unveil Chila’s new commission. I hope this spectacular transformation of Tate Britain’s façade can act as a beacon of light and hope during dark lockdown days and bring joy to all those who live or work nearby.”
The decorations, which can be seen from across the Thames, will remain in place until at least January 31 next year.
It is hoped they will lift the spirits of patients at St Thomas’s Hospital (which saved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s life earlier this year).
The mayor of London praised Chila’s dramatic artwork: “Even when its doors are closed, Tate Britain is able to make a powerful cultural impact on our capital with this bold new work. Chila’s colourful tribute to her Punjabi and English heritage is a great way to mark Diwali’s celebration of light over darkness, and will be a symbol of hope during these difficult times.”
