Britain & Gujarat

Oriental Arts are currently involved in work that brings together Britain’s Gujarati communities with artists, museum curators and library staff. The conversations we have will help to  create an exhibition that explores over four hundred years of history shared between Gujarat and Britain; from 1608 when the first British ships arrived in India to the present day. Photography, film and sound recordings from Gujarat, together with material from museum, library and personal collections in Britain, will tell this fascinating story. We hope to tour it to six venues around the country.

To enable us to do this we need your help. If you have a connection with Gujarat we would like to talk to you about your ideas, your experiences and the stories you think we should include. You may have your own personal recollections to share, or objects or photographs you may be willing to lend or have copied for display. Please get in touch via our contact page.

Changing Bradford

In recognition of the pioneering role it played as the champion of South Asian arts in the region Oriental Arts are featured in a new book, Changing Bradford. Published as the legacy of a photography and oral history project run by Impressions Gallery Champak Limbachia is interviewed about how he and Oriental Arts paved the way for South Asian arts becoming part of the fabric of the local cultural scene.

Bollywood, Bradford & Beyond

This exhibition, held at Bradford’s BD1 Gallery in 2013, marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Indian cinema. The early days of Oriental Arts were part of Filmistan, a film commissioned by Bradford UNESCO City of Film for the show.

Filmistan looked back at the 1960s & 70s when Bradford was the centre for Britain’s thriving Asian cinema scene, and a fledgling Oriental Arts used to provide live entertainment to complement screenings and the visits of top Bollywood stars.