Arts and Literature

The Teahouse discussions – where art lovers can chat to the artists over a nice cuppa - are all part of a huge celebration of contemporary Asian art that's taking place in the city. The Triennial been organised by Shisha, the international agency for South Asian arts and crafts - and it's all about getting Asian art into the mainstream. 

The festival is something that Alnoor Mitha, the Director of Shisha, has been thinking about for a long time:

“At the moment there are various South Asian artists who unfortunately – although their work is exhibited – have very few of their works that are part of a galleries’ collection. I think many people look at South Asian art and it isn't what they expect. We felt that it was really important to look at what was happening in Asia (as a whole). For many of our curators it was the first time they could do their own research, go abroad and look at various regions in Asia to bring innovative art here to Manchester.”

(c) Han Bing Walking the Cabbage

For Alnoor, Manchester is a natural home for the UK’s first triennial that's dedicated solely to Asian art. He argues that it's a natural progression from the cultural legacy left behind from the Commonwealth Games - and the Manchester International festival that took place last year,

“Manchester is an international city, a mature city - it's multi cultural, multi racial and it's the right time to celebrate the Triennial here. All those previous activities lead on to the event.”

Much of the work on show has been given the loose heading of “protest”, a suitable subject for Manchester given its radical history. In some cases the artists have used the city itself to create their work, like Indian artist Shilpa Gupta who has taken objects confiscated from Manchester Airport, to create a piece called “There is no explosive”.

Five key venues are involved – the Castlefield Art gallery, the Cornerhouse, the Chinese Arts Centre, the International 3 and Manchester Art Gallery, but Alnoor says there are chances for people to get involved in events right across Greater Manchester.

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“People from all communities are welcome – it's a free event and open to everyone.
There are events not just at the arts galleries but at community centres too. It's really about making the festival as inclusive as possible”

and the best way of doing that?

“What we've suggested is that all the artists bring teas from where they come from and just make a cup of tea and start talking. That happens in Asia, certainly in India and China – and we love tea too so it brings everything together in a really good way.”

Indeed, what better way to enjoy a piece of art than over a nice cup of tea?

The Asia Triennial opens in Manchester on April 5 – June 1, at various venues.