Glasgow - City of Empire is a co-curated exhibition with Our Shared Cultural Heritage Changemakers, a group of young people exploring the shared cultures and histories of the UK and South Asia.
Through framing how Glasgow’s past and present have been heavily shaped and influenced by histories of slavery and empire, the exhibition presents a vision of how Glasgow Life Museums might better address histories and legacies of transatlantic slavery and British colonialism.
The display explores several themes including Glasgow’s connections to transatlantic slavery, Glasgow and Empire and anti-racist activism.
City of Empire includes the display of a range of objects from the Glasgow Museums collection that connect to Empire, including sculpture of Lakshmibai the warrior queen of Jhansi, who led resistance forces in the Indian rebellion of 1857, objects connected to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and objects connected to Glasgow’s International Exhibitions of 1888 and 1911. It further includes digital content that explores Glasgow’s links to transatlantic slavery and the influence of colonialism on education.
Presented alongside Glasgow – City of Empire, is Anam Ki Almari (The Trophy Cupboard) by Aqsa Arif. Arif has been the 20/20 artist-in-residence for Kelvingrove since August 2022. Anam Ki Almari presents the culmination of her research into Glasgow Life Museums’ collection as a film installation and ceramic works. For this new commissioned she creatively re-appropriates the 1888 Glasgow International Exhibition, specifically the Indian Pavilion, exploring rituals, traditions and the communal act of making as a way to overcome subjugation and reclaim the colonial gaze.
See this new exhibition on the South Balcony in Kelvingrove Museum.
Find out more [https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove-art-gallery-and-museum/glasgow-city-of-empire]