20/20 meet the artists: Madi Acharya-Baskerville
- Written byKatie Moss
- Published date 29 November 2022
In September, UAL announced the eight emerging and mid-career artists in the first of 2 cohorts of 20/20: a national commissioning and network project directly investing in the careers of a new generation of ethnically diverse artists.
20/20 was launched in November 2021 by UAL Decolonising Arts Institute, working with a network of 20 UK public collections, museum and gallery partners, and with funding from Freelands Foundation, Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants Programme and UAL.
We caught up with Madi Acharya-Baskerville about being selected for the first cohort of artists for 20/20. Her residency is taking place at The Lightbox, Woking.
Tell us about your artistic work, discipline & background
"I am an Asian-born diaspora artist, living and working in the UK. I spent my early childhood in India and this continues to have a huge influence on my practice. I completed my MA in Fine Art in Cardiff and around this time became fascinated by coastlines.
"The themes explored in my work range from environmental concerns, migration and exile through to gender identity. My practice involves the synthesis of unlikely elements which I collect from different locations, the coastline, woodlands and vintage markets. The core of my work exists in the found element, matter that already surrounds us, an enduring reflection of the human condition.
"Using objects, textiles, songs and conversations which resonate with me, I create works which move fluidly between different media. Through joyous transformative processes, these objects and materials are reborn as part of something new."
Why did you apply for the 20/20 project?
"I applied for the 20/20 project as it seemed an exciting and unique opportunity that fits really well with my practice which is inspired by museum collections, such as the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. I feel that the 20/20 project will be a chance to engage in a more critically based approach to collecting practices with a view to reinterpreting a museum collection within the context of colonialism.
"I also feel that the 20/20 project is a fantastic opportunity to create new work as part of a permanent collection and it will be a privilege to contribute to the imperative task of decolonisation of museum collections with a view to reducing on-going social and racial inequalities throughout Fine Art collections."
What conversations, thoughts or feelings do you hope to encourage amongst your audiences during your residency?
"During my residency, I hope to promote curiosity amongst my audiences and encourage them to explore the narrative behind specific objects, about how they came to be in the collection; the motivation of the collector and the context in which the collection arose.
"I would like to create a space for conversation about how colonialism may have been experienced in the past to those who were colonized and what it means today to those who have experienced displacement as a result of colonization, more recently. Through conversations, discussions and experiential workshops I would aim to create a legacy of decolonization."
Follow Madi Acharya-Baskerville on social media:
Instagram: @madiacharyabaskerville
Twitter: @MadiAcharyaBask