New York Exhibition Surveys 'Architecture Of Decolonisation’ In South Asia

A new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York will highlight post-partition architecture from South Asia, showcasing the work of the region’s architecture giants as they navigated newfound statehood.

'The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947-1985' opens this week and features over 200 works of South Asian architecture ranging from original sketches, drawings, and photos by the likes of Balkrishna V Doshi, Minnette de Silva, and Yasmeen Lari. The show's central thesis charts how architects from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh designed new building forms in response to the dissolution of the British Raj.

"The modern architecture of post-independence countries of South Asia is a particularly insightful and successful instance, where bold and unique design of the highest standard became an active agent of social progress," said Martino Stierli, MoMA’s chief curator of architecture and design.

Oft referred to as Pakistan's first female architect, the early work of Yasmeen Lari, including the Anguri Bagh (1972-1973), is on display.  Built in Lahore, the Anguri Bagh Housing project was inspired by Constantinos Doxiadis' grid plan for Islamabad, as well as the walled cities of Lahore and Multan, featuring interlocking spaces and built in brick. Intended as low-income housing, it initially provided 787 apartments to a community displaced by flooding.

“The narrow pedestrian streets are multipurpose as children’s playground, a place for socialising, where people may take their charpoys out; a vendor’s selling place; above all they provide space for human interaction," Lari said of the housing complex.

Also featured are models of the Korangi Housing Project, Doxiadis' original grid plans for Islamabad and the Ahle Hadith Mosque, also in Islamabad.

The exhibit is organized around six central themes: new cities; templates for living; institution building; political spaces; education; industry and infrastructure. Photographer Randhir Singh took many of the images of buildings on display; students from the Cooper Union School of Architecture built original architectural models of some of the buildings.

The exhibit is on display at the MoMA until July 2nd, 2022.