Private View - Zari Sona Moti : Glitter Gold Pearl

South Asians of every generation living in the UK manage a minefield of the sliding scale of code-switching between white-ness and brown-ness.  

We are now in a landscape where many South Asians feel more comfortable embracing influences from eastern and western cultures, which has come after decades of rejecting our own heritage in order to feel like we fit in.

This has resulted in a huge generation gap with the third generation who are thirsty and hungry to learn about our own cultural backgrounds.  Languages, cuisines, religions, and clothing are disappearing; and our children are learning about these things as outsiders and tourists. 

So when we have more than one cultural influence, how does our sense of self shift when we become parents or a carer for children?  

Saroj Patel and Mita Vaghela are artists and co-curators of ‘Zari Sona Moti : Glitter Gold Pearls’, and have invited eight fellow South Asian artists living in the UK to celebrate their roots through experiences of parenthood.