A-N AT 45: SUTAPA BISWAS Interview by Louisa Buck

LB: "What are the main changes you’ve experienced as an artist over the past 45 years? 

SB: Thankfully today there is better awareness of the pervasive historic patriarchal and Eurocentric power structures that for centuries have defined the value systems of art and culture. This is evident in patronage, museum collections, exhibitions and academia. These hierarchical epistemologies have functioned in limiting perceptions of the aesthetic in relation to questions of subjectivity, gender, race and class. The changes we have seen over the past 45 years have been slow in coming, and women continue to be discriminated against. It’s often the case, for instance, that our male counterparts are congratulated for speaking ‘truth to power’, whereas women who do this are frequently typecast as being ‘difficult’. Such disparities in gender, race and class are further complicated in today’s climate by the rise of far-right extremist ideologies – and a return to treating women like extras in The Handmaid’s Tale… 

LB: What did taking part in ‘The Thin Black Line’ mean to you? 

SB: It undoubtedly presented an important platform to showcase my works in a high-profile exhibition within a major London gallery. The works I exhibited included my monumental painting Housewives with Steak-knives (1983-85) and my video Kali (1983-85), both of which attracted huge attention. What was also important was that ahead of the exhibition we artists came together to share our work, ideas, influences and experiences. Born to parents whose ancestors originated in geographies across different regions of the globe that had been colonised by Europeans, this was a common thread for us all; it had led some of us to being cultural activists prior to our meeting, which was inspiring to learn about.  

By the time I first met Lubaina Himid in 1984, while I was conducting research in support of my dissertation Black Women Artists – One Hell of a Big Subject, I had already been involved in the founding of The Pavilion gallery in Leeds – the first venue dedicated to showing the work of women photographers. My tutor Griselda Pollock also recalls that from week one of my enrolling as a Fine Art with Art History student at the University of Leeds in 1981, I had begun to challenge my tutors, pointing out the Eurocentric underpinnings of their programme, and absence of readings in art history that addressed questions of imperialism and capitalism in relation to race, gender and class. In 2020 she wrote: “Long before decolonising the curriculum became an international issue, [Sutapa Biswas] challenged us to think about race and gender through challenging but always artistically stunning works in pastel, photography and performance.” 

LB: What did the mid 1980s mean to you both personally and professionally and how did your work develop during this time?   

SB: The 1980s was a time of huge political upheaval in the UK. I arrived as an undergraduate in the aftermath of race riots in the suburb of London where I lived at the time, and across other UK cities. The anti-fascist movement mobilised and fought back against the fascists which was positive, but the UK was still feeling the repercussions of the repressive era of Thatcherism. It’s important to remember that this was a period during which working class communities were undermined through a culture of anti-unionism, the privatisation of our national industries and the ‘sell-off’ of council housing, as well as the introduction of Clause 28, and the Poll Tax – the results of which were devastating for many different communities.  

But despite this, the era was also defined by the emergence of countercultures in the creative industries. This was a lifeline. As a newly enrolled undergraduate student, alongside studying I was able to see numerous bands perform live weekly because tickets were affordable at the time. I saw bands like Gill Scott-Heron, Gang of Four, The Cure, The Slits, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Scritti Politti, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen, Bow Wow Wow, Kid Creole and The Coconuts and many more. Seeing The Fall play in the student union’s Riley Smith Hall within the first few weeks of arriving in Leeds truly blew my mind. This was coupled with having access to avant-garde theatre productions and the university film society where I was able to experience new wave cinema and arthouse films. [...]"