A timely offering exploring cultural identity,  Jalsaghar (translated as ‘music room’) explores Debjani Banerjee’s experience as a British Bengali raised in England. The exhibition weaves together heritage and community, quite literally, as she collaborates with artists such as Bernie Reid, Marta Aspe, Susmita Pujara, Kavi Pujara and family members to create an enriched display of skill and an abundance of perspectives.

Debjani herself describes the work as a ‘deeply personal and reflective project that explores the intersection of culture, identity and belonging… a multifaceted narrative that resonates with the complexities of hybrid cultural identities.’

Bringing together traditional Indian textile techniques, Hindu iconography and the modern everyday, Banerjee combines the past and present beautifully. Stark 1980s hues mix with sculptures full of inquisitive emotion. Faces and bodies move within realms of contrasting fabric silhouettes and under clay crowns, exploring moments of joy and peace. Quirky, cartoony and extremely engrossing, Banerjee’s work is a bright meditation on personality which reflects her own unique point of view. 

‘In this exhibition, I am navigating the delicate balance of honouring my parents’ immigrant experiences while asserting my identity as a woman of colour in modern Britain,’ she says. ‘It opens a doorway to engage with and challenge the notions of identity in a globalised world.’ Travelling through themes of belonging and diversity (with a fragile balance of novelty, sorrow and a conscious outlook), this collection is ultimately bound to raise questions, alongside emotion, in every observer who comes to visit.

Jalsaghar, CCA, Glasgow, Saturday 28 September–Saturday 21 December.