Through Kindred Eyes is an expression of the cultural links between Scotland and India through work by two South Asian artists living in Edinburgh.
Amaranthine is a selection of oil paintings by Vibha Pankaj, a contemporary landscape artist who has lived in Edinburgh for 27 years. Her paintings are an amalgamation of memories from the past and observations of natural beauty from her treks in the Scottish hills. Her art navigates her deep-rooted connection with nature and its offer of hope, comfort, freedom and unconditional friendship. She uses colour and texture to evoke a sense of longing and belonging. Each canvas is an imagined visual story, inviting viewers into a contemplative space where memory and landscape dissolve into a feeling of joy and reflection.
Broon Scots is led by documentary photographer Hermann Rodrigues and curated by Puravi Kumar. Since the 1990s, the collection has amassed thousands of images and stories of South Asians in Scotland, namely the Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani communities. Through Kindred Eyes includes selections from the collection’s major themes: Portraits, Gatherings and Monuments, along with a series titled Restaurants. Rodrigues’s passion has constructed windows into the varied lives, cultures, events and the everyday to break through stereotypes and celebrate a growing part of Scottish society.
Vibha Pankaj’s paintings and Rodrigues' photographs share a kindred approach in their use of colour and in exploring their intertwined Scottish-Asian heritage. The exhibition accompanies the unveiling of a bust of poet Rabindranath Tagore directly outside the exhibition space in Sandeman House Garden.