Nunnery Gallery Panel Talk: Bhajan Hunjan in conversation with Dr. Alice Correia and Sophie Hill

Listen to artist Bhajan Hunjan and curator and art historian Dr. Alice Correia in conversation with Sophie Hill, Director of Arts and Events at Bow Arts, for an in-depth conversation examining Hunjan’s artistic practice and social engagement. The discussion explores the influences of artist Bhajan Hunjan’s childhood in Kenya as well as her meaningful contribution to the Black British Art Movement. Hunjan traces her family’s migration history from India to East Africa in 1933 — both then part of the British Empire. Her arrival in the UK to study Fine Art was a result of the Kenyan government’s Kenyanisation polices which prohibited her studying in Kenya. Speaking through materials is the first retrospective of Hunjan’s artwork in the UK, bringing together work that contributed to the Black British Art Movement: this talk touches upon how Hunjan’s work addsto the important narratives of Black British art and the role of solidarity between African, Caribbean and South Asian artists during the 1980s. It also reveals lesser-known histories of collaboration personal to the local area, such as her working with local school and community groups, such as Mohila Creations in Tower Hamlets which was formed through the St Paul’s Way public art project in 2012. Alice Correia is a specialist in late twentieth-century British art with a focus on Black and South Asian diaspora artists. She has interviewed Hunjan previously for SADAA (South Asian Diaspora Arts Archive) and written about her work for numerous publications, including the newly published accompanying catalogue to the exhibition. Sophie Hill has worked with Hunjan over the years at Bow Arts and is the exhibition curator. She will speak about the social aspects of Hunjan’s practice which have had such a positive impact on communities in Tower Hamlets through public art commissions, workshops and engagement. This event is part of the public programme of 'Bhajan Hunjan: speaking through materials exhibition' at Nunnery Gallery from Friday 9th October till Sunday 20th December 2026.