India to Leicester: An Artists Journey is an exhibition about the life and works of 75 year old artist Kamal Koria who migrated to the UK in the 1970s. Curated by his daughter, the exhibition aims to celebrate the achievements of first generation South Asian migrants and inspire the future generations to document their histories.
At a young age, Koria struggled to obtain the art materials he needed, going so far as to create his own paintbrushes from human and animal hair. Despite adversity, he continued to create, and taught himself to paint through trial and error. The exhibition spans Koria’s 50 year career and shows his journey from his first forays into artistic expression up to the globally reputed artist he is today. It includes snippets of his early drawings, sources of inspiration and preparatory sketches, giving insight into the background and development of his unique artistic voice.
Preparatory sketches
Messenger, 2022, acrylic on canvasKoria’s passion for colour and form is deftly transformed from his sketches and realised on canvas. The exhibition is divided into different themes or areas of life- home, village life etc. Themes and motifs can be seen throughout, for example many of his works feature birds which can be symbols of beauty, freedom, communication and migration.
I particularly enjoyed Koria’s sitar paintings which reminded me of Picasso’s atmospheric painting The Old Guitarist. The harmonious colours along with expressive postures of the subjects evoke the elegant movements of sitar playing, allowing you to ‘hear’ the paintings.
Dancing Lines, 2020, acrylic on canvas
India to Leicester: An Artists Journey is showing at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery from 21/09/24 to 01/12/24. It is curated by Khyati Koria-Green and supported by Leicester City Council and Arts Council England.