What Does it Mean to be a UK Based Contempory Artist With South Asian Heritage in 2023?

This is a piece of independent research that I conducted for my undergraduate dissertation. I decided to publish it here as I think the findings might have some wider relevance.

Below is an abstract summary of the dissertation and you can download the complete dissertation with images here.

What Does it Mean to be a UK Based Contempory Artist With South Asian Heritage in 2023?

BA Creative Arts Dissertation - Submitted October 2023

Abstract
This study examines the contemporary experiences of UK-based artists with South Asian heritage, investigating how race, ethnicity, and cultural identity intersect with artistic practice and institutional representation in 2023. Through a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative gallery analysis, qualitative thematic examination, and case study research, this investigation addresses the persistent challenges faced by diaspora artists in navigating expectations of identity-based work while seeking recognition beyond ethnic categorization.

A cross-sectional study of 74 solo exhibitions across London galleries in July 2023 revealed a complete absence of artists with South Asian heritage, despite South Asians comprising 33% of London's population. The research identified significant thematic differences in how artists from different ethnic backgrounds are represented, with Black artists disproportionately creating work categorized as addressing "politics of difference," while White artists' ethnicity remained unmarked and invisible in exhibition texts.

Case studies of established South Asian heritage artists Perminder Kaur and Hetain Patel illuminate the complex negotiations required to maintain artistic integrity while resisting reductive identity-based categorization. Both artists demonstrate sophisticated strategies for creating work that engages with cultural heritage while refusing simple explanations or tokenistic representation. The author suggestions that their experiences reveal persistent institutional barriers and the ongoing challenge of being recognized as "British artists" rather than being confined to diaspora or ethnicity-focused programming.

The findings suggest that despite decades of multiculturalism discourse, structural inequalities persist in UK arts institutions. Artists with South Asian heritage face the paradox of hypervisibility within diversity initiatives while remaining underrepresented in mainstream gallery spaces. The research contributes to critical discussions around cultural identity, institutional racism, and the politics of representation in contemporary British art, while proposing that Stuart Hall's concept of "hybrid subjectivity" offers a more nuanced framework for understanding diaspora artistic practice than binary identity categories.

This study highlights the need for arts institutions to examine their curatorial practices and address the systematic marginalization of South Asian heritage artists, while recognizing the sophisticated ways these artists navigate and resist essentialist categorizations of their work.

Keywords: South Asian diaspora, British contemporary art, cultural identity, institutional racism, gallery representation, hybrid subjectivity