Bollywood comes to the V&A this summer with the first ever major exhibition of posters and hoardings from Indian cinema. A group of leading artists will also fly over from India to create unique hand-painted hoardings at the V&A.
Cinema India: The Art of Bollywood features more than 70 posters including large-scale printed hoardings. The show captures the excitement and glamour of Bollywood and documents the vibrant visual culture of Indian film.
Highlights include:
Landmark poster images from the V&A's collection from the 1950s to the present day. Chronologically arranged sections which explore major themes in the development of Indian cinema.
Hoarding artists from India specially commissioned to demonstrate the unique art of hand-painting hoardings at the V&A. They will produce three works on site providing a rare opportunity for the public to watch this fascinating technique.
Lobby photo cards used to decorate cinema interiors and film booklets which are unique to Indian cinema and contain song lyrics, photographs and a film synopsis.
Work by contemporary artists who have been influenced by or used Bollywood images:
The first UK showing of the fabulous Star series of photographs taken by Catherine Yass. Using her distinctive technique, these light box images of the most important Bollywood stars and Bombay's Art Deco cinemas add a further dimension to this show.
Adam Bartos's photography captures the grandeur of three of the oldest Bombay film studios, allowing a rare glimpse of the evocative objects and architecture of Indian cinema.
Annu Palakunnathu Matthew uses digital photography to create a pastiche of traditional Bollywood art, mimicking its archetypal imagery and typography in an insightful and thought provoking way.
Original film trailers and song and dance routines featuring the most celebrated stars of Indian cinema will be projected across the gallery walls.
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