Press room

This Autumn, the Barbican presents a series of performances, music gigs, and a large art commission by contemporary Indian artists.

VISUAL ARTS: Ranjani Shettar: Cloud songs on the horizon – opens 10 September
A spectacular site-specific commission by Indian sculptor Ranjani Shettar in the iconic Barbican Conservatory this autumn. The artist’s first major institutional show in Europe will feature a series of new, large-scale suspended sculptures across the entirety of the Conservatory’s 23,000 square foot space.

THEATRE: Mahabharata – 1–7 October
Barbican presents the UK premiere of innovative Canadian company Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata. A Barbican co-commission, this contemporary adaptation of the four-thousand-year-old Sanskrit epic explores a devastating family feud and how survivors rebuild after mass extinction. The large-scale spectacle retelling is led by an ensemble cast and live band from the South Asian diaspora, using both ancient and modern storytelling techniques.

VISUAL ARTS: RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology – 5 October–14 January
A major group exhibition surveying the relationship between gender and ecology to identify the systemic links between the oppression of women and the degradation of the planet. Featuring photography and film from around 50 international women and gender non-conforming artists, the exhibition includes works by Indian artists Poulomi Basu, Gauri Gill, Gurminder Sikand, Pamela Singh and People’s Archive of Rural India – PARI.

MUSIC: Darbar Festival – 26–29 October
Darbar Festival 2023 returns for its eighteenth year with a magical, mindful mix of emerging raw young talent, master performers making their UK debuts as well as world class legends - all crafting an enchanting world of melody and rhythm. Alongside mighty performances sit workshops, guided meditations, the return of the ever-popular Yogabliss and Breathwork as well as lectures and demonstrations to invite audiences old and new into the world of Indian classical music.

Barbican Artistic Director Will Gompertz, said: "The Barbican is proud to present a season of work by some of the most exciting Indian artists working today. From Ranjani Shettar's stunning new sculptures to some of India’s most extraordinary musicians, these artists are using their work to explore a range of important issues, including gender, ecology, and the relationship between art and tradition. Shettar's work is a meditation on the interconnectedness of all things, and her sculptures in the Conservatory are a stunning addition to our public spaces. We are also delighted to present Why Not Theatre's production of the Mahabharata, a classical Indian epic retold with a contemporary lens that resonate with conflicts today such as migration and climate change – themes also explored in the Re/Sisters exhibition, which shines a light in the relationship between ecology and gender. We are thrilled to be able to showcase these artists’ work to our audiences. This season is a testament to the vibrancy and diversity of Indian art, and we hope that it will inspire and challenge people in equal measure."

You can follow this link to see the full programme on our website.

PROGRAMME

Ranjani Shettar: Cloud songs on the horizon
Barbican Conservatory
Opening 10 Sept 2023
The commission is realised in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA)
From 10 September 2023, the Barbican’s iconic Conservatory will host a spectacular new site-specific commission by Indian sculptor Ranjani Shettar. Cloud songs on the horizon, the artist’s first major institutional show in Europe, will feature a series of new, large-scale suspended sculptures across the entirety of the Conservatory’s 23,000 square foot space. A tropical oasis in the heart of London, the Barbican Conservatory is home to a vibrant mix of 1,500 species of plants and trees from across the world. Shettar’s sculptures, currently in production in her studio in southern India, are each handcrafted by the artist and draw inspiration from the complexity of nature. They will employ a range of materials including wood, stainless steel, muslin, lacquer and techniques that have been adapted from traditional Indian crafts. Read full press release here.

Why Not Theatre – Mahabharata
Barbican Theatre
Sun 1 – Sat 7 Oct 2023
Press day: Sun 1 Oct 2023
Karma (Part 1) at 3.30pm & Dharma (Part 2) at 8.15pm)
UK premiere, Barbican co-commission
Presented by the Barbican with generous support by the Bagri Foundation
Mahabharata is a contemporary adaptation of the Sanskrit epic poem, that follows a devastating family feud and explores profound philosophical and spiritual ideas. Its stories are more than four thousand years old and foundational to Indian culture. The new, large-scale retelling is presented in two parts and takes audiences on a journey through the past in order to write a thrilling new future.

Almost 40 years since Peter Brook’s legendary production, Why Not Theatre’s adaptation is the first major international adaptation of the ancient Indian stories to be led by a company from the South Asian diaspora. They continue to resonate powerfully today, against a backdrop of territorial war, human rights violations and climate change. Exploring the act of storytelling itself, the staging evolves from ancient and intimate - a storyteller around a fire - to a modern spectacle with projection, dynamic soundscapes, poetic stage design and a new opera for the most revered portion of ‘The Mahabharata’, the Bhagavad Gita. Led by an international cast of performers from the South Asian diaspora, including a live band, Mahabharata presents a complex hybrid of cultures, balancing East and West, traditional and contemporary.

Mahabharata is a story that one learns over a lifetime; it needs to be absorbed and digested. On select days there will also be the option to book for a (limited capacity) community meal and storytelling session.

Why Not Theatre is an international theatre company based in Toronto, Canada, operating at the intersection of art, innovation and social change. Rooted in values of community and collaboration, Why Not challenges the status quo, rethinking how stories are told and who gets to tell them. The company has developed and produced over 50 new plays to critical and public acclaim, toured to over 50 cities (including a 2019 residency at the Barbican), and garnered over 40 awards and nominations.
Read the full press release here.

MAHABHARATA FULL LISTINGS DETAILS

Mahabharata: Karma (Part 1)
Sun 1 - Sat 7 Oct 2023 (4 performances)
Barbican Theatre
3:30pm on Sun 1, Fri 6 & Sat 7 Oct, 7:45pm on Wed 4 Oct 2023
2 hours 40 mins including 20 minute interval
Age Guidance: 12+ (Concentration. Discussions and non-graphic depictions of violence, war, and sexual activity)
From £16 plus booking fee; £15 Young Barbican tickets available

Mahabharata: Dharma (Part 2)
Sun 1 - Sat 7 Oct 2023 (4 performances)
Barbican Theatre
7:45pm on Thu 5 Oct, 8:15pm on Sun 1, Fri 6 & Sat 7 Oct 2023
2 hours 15 minutes including 20 minute interval
Age Guidance: 12+ (Concentration. Discussions and non-graphic depictions of violence, war and sexual activity)
From £16 plus booking fee; £15 Young Barbican tickets available

Mahabharata: Khana & Kahani: Community meal and storytelling session
Sun 1 - Sat 7 Oct 2023 (3 performances)
The Pit
6:30pm on Sun 1, Fri 6 & Sat 7 Oct 2023
75 minutes / no interval
Age Guidance: 12+ (Concentration, and for consistency with the other two parts)
£20

RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology
Barbican Art Gallery
5 Oct 2023 – 14 Jan 2024
Media View: Wed 4 Oct 2023, 10am –1pm
Lead sponsor: Vestiaire Collective
Barbican Art Gallery presents RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology, a major group exhibition surveying the relationship between gender and ecology to identify the systemic links between the oppression of women and the degradation of the planet.

This expansive exhibition brings together photography, film, and installations by nearly 50 international women and gender non-conforming artists whose work is united across decades, continents, and media by an urgent engagement with, and protest against, the ongoing ecological crisis. Platforming work by artists from the Global Majority and Indigenous peoples, RE/SISTERS explores the indivisible bond between environmental and social justice, offering a vision of an equitable society wherein people and planet alike are venerated and treated fairly.

With women and marginalised communities often placed at the forefront of advocating and caring for the planet, RE/SISTERS offers a depiction of nature that explicitly resists the mechanical, patriarchal order that is organised around the exploitation of natural resources and the oppression of “othered” bodies. Across roughly 250 works, the exhibition presents a roadmap for creative forms of civil disobedience and protest: a lesser explored, cautiously optimistic route to reconsidering our relationship to the Earth and our problematic co-existence with it. Tackling unequal power structures which oppress and threaten both marginalised communities and our precious planet, RE/SISTERS advocates for empowerment in the face of destruction, reflecting a radical and intersectional brand of eco-feminism that is diverse, inclusive, and decolonial. 

Read full press release here.

Darbar Festival
Various Venues
26-29 Oct 2023
Darbar Festival 2023 returns for its eighteenth year with a magical, mindful mix of emerging raw young talent, master performers making their UK debuts as well as world class legends, all crafting an enchanting world of melody and rhythm. Alongside mighty performances sit workshops, guided meditations, the return of the ever-popular Yogabliss and Breathwork as well as lectures and demonstrations to invite audiences old and new into the world of Indian classical music. You can check the full listings here.