Ben Uri: Audio Adventures

Part of the audio guide produced for Ben Uri Gallery 2015 Centenary.

Wilfred Cass was born Wolfgang Cassirer to a Jewish industrialist family in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany on 11 November 1924 and, following the rise of Nazism, the family fled their home in 1933, first staying with Cass's mother's former governess in Cranbrook, Kent, England. By 1951, Cass achieved a Higher National Diploma in Telecommunications and soon become an entrepreneur, working...

Mario Dubsky was born to immigrant Viennese Jewish parents (who had converted to Christianity) in north London in May 1939. Studying at the Slade School of Fine Art, he was influenced by tutors, Robert Medley and Keith Vaughan, and by the work of David Bomberg. Dubsky was best known for his powerful, and often disturbing drawings of the male nude, exploring his homosexual identity and the limiting...

Ernest Zobole was born into a family of Italian immigrants in Ystrad, Rhondda, Wales on 25 April 1927. Deeply influenced by the industrial landscape of the Rhondda Valley, his art evolved from gritty realism to abstract expressionism, further shaped by the influence of emigre artist, Heinz Koppel, whom he met in 1952. A member of the informal Rhondda Group of painters, Zobole's works merge viv...

Giovanni Tiranti, later known as John, was born in Turin, Italy in 1873 or 1874. He was a successful woodcarver. Just before the turn of the 20th century, Tiranti immigrated to England where he established an eponymous company focused on publishing art books and in providing sculptors' equipment and tools, which still operates in the 21st century. Listen to his story here or read the full biog...

Kudzanai-Violet Hwami was born in Gutu, Zimbabwe in 1993, moving to Manchester, England in 2010. She graduated from Wimbledon College of Arts with a BFA in 2016. Her artistic practice involves experimentation with photography and digital collage techniques and her paintings draw inspiration from her experiences of geographical displacement and dislocation, combining visual elements from a variety...

Natasha Muluswela was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1995, moving to London, England in 2006 to join her mother who was then living there. Largely self-taught, in her portraits and body drawings she emphasises the unique beauty in every individual, challenging conventional beauty standards by depicting attributes like vitiligo, stretch marks, and ageism, celebrating these natural aspects as integral...

Kay Gasei was born in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1991 and moved to England shortly after his birth. He studied illustration at Oxford Brookes University, graduating in 2014. He is renowned for his distinctive illustrations and paintings that interweave mythological themes with modern contexts. His creations transcend cultural boundaries, incorporating elements from Greek mythology, African folktales, and...

Yashwant Mali was born in Bombay, British India (now Mumbai, India) in 1934. After establishing a reputation as an artist in his homeland, he moved to England in 1962, where he is mostly known for his central involvement in the Indian Painters Collective, later developed into the Indian Artists UK and Indian Arts Council, the first artist collectives of their kind in the UK. Listen to his story he...

Vinodini Ebdon was born in Delhi, British India (now India) in 1919. After marrying a British Officer, she permanently moved to England in 1953. She studied ceramics at the Bath Academy of Art in 1962, and went on to show her work at various exhibitions showcasing South Asian artists in Britain during the 1980s. Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www....

Thomas Lowinsky was born in India on 2 March 1892 of Hungarian descent. He immigrated to England around 1904 to study at Eton College and Trinity College, University of Oxford, before training at the Slade School of Fine Art in London (1912–14). An illustrator and painter of portraits, landscapes, and surrealist imagery, often inspired by the Bible or classical mythology, Lowinsky held his first s...

Painter, sculptor and curator, Syed Saleem Arif Quadri was born in India in 1949 and moved to England with his family in 1966. He studied sculpture at Birmingham College of Art in 1969, later pursuing an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in London, graduating in 1975. He has worked in many disciplines, including painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, sculpture, artists books and dr...

Sutapa Biswas was born in Santiniketan (now part of Bolpur), India, in 1962. Her family moved to London in 1966 and she studied art in Leeds and London before establishing a successful career working across a range of media, primarily in conceptual art. Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/sutapa-biswas

Suresh Vedak was born in Bombay, British India (now Mumbai, India) in 1943. After obtaining his painting diploma in 1960, he immigrated to London, where he continued his studies at the Central School of Arts and Crafts until 1965. Alongside designing theatre sets, he became a member of the Indian Artists UK (IAUK) and Rainbow Art Group, designing and exhibiting in exhibitions associated with these...

Sunil Janah was born in Dibrugarh, British India (now India) in 1918. He became a well-known and well-regarded photographer in Calcutta in the 1940s and 1950s, documenting India's pre- and post-independence. Janah lived in London between 1980 and 2003, during which time his works were shown extensively in UK exhibitions. Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: htt...

Siramdasu Venkata Rama Rao was born in Gudivada, British India (now India) in 1936. He arrived in England in 1962 on a Commonwealth Fellowship, studying at the Slade School of Fine Art until 1965. As a celebrated cubist painter, Rao was centrally involved in the early formation of the Indian Painters Collective, the first group of its kind in the UK. Listen to his story here or read the full biogr...

Shanti Panchal was born in the mid-late 1950s in Mesar, Gujarat, India, and trained at the Sir JJ School of Art in Bombay (Mumbai). He immigrated to England on a British Council scholarship to study at the Byam Shaw School of Art, London in 1978. He has lived and worked in London for more than four decades, exhibiting widely, gaining an international reputation and many painting awards both in the...

Sadanand Bakre was born in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, in 1920. After his family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) he attended the Sir J.J. School of Art. In 1951, he moved to London, England, where he shifted his practice from sculpture to painting. Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/sadanand-bakre

Nudrat Afza was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in 1955. In 1964 her family moved to Bradford, England, where she has since documented local community life as a self-taught photographer. Covering various themes such as ethnicity, community, female fandom and cancer, Afza's works have been shown in many UK exhibitions. Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://w...

Nimai Chatterji was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), British India (now India) in 1933, where he later studied Bengali literature. Chatterji immigrated to London, England in the mid-1950s in pursuit of further education and studied at the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts. During his time in London and travelling across Europe, as an interviewer for the BBC World Service, Chatterji corresp...

Nasser Azam was born in Jhelum, Pakistan in 1963. At the age of seven he moved with his parents to England, where he studied Business at the University of Birmingham. Despite not receiving any formal artistic training, Azam has subsequently been a significant figure in portraiture, painting, and public monumental sculpture in the UK. Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU...

Mariam Syed was born in Karachi, Pakistan in December 1983. She immigrated to Glasgow, Scotland in 2006 to pursue higher education in the arts. Syed is a weaver and textile designer who blends traditional Pakistani weaving practices with her European education and influences. Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/mariam-syed

Liaqat Rasul was born to Pakistani parents in Wrexham, North Wales, in February 1974. From 1995 to 1999, he attended the University of Derby, England, obtaining a BA (Hons) in Fashion Studies with a specialisation in textiles. A notable aspect of Rasul’s artistic practice involves partnering with charities and non-profit organisations to conduct workshops and creative training sessions. Listen to...

Lancelot Ribeiro was born into a Catholic family from Goa (then a Portuguese colony) in Bombay (now Mumbai), India in 1933, and moved to England in 1950, eventually studying life-drawing at St Martin’s School of Art in London. His artwork was initially inspired by Indian and Goan architecture and the Christian tradition, but he later experimented with polyvinyl acetate (PVA), largely embracing abs...

Jai Chuhan was born in Punjab, India in 1955. She immigrated to London, England in 1973 to attend the Slade School of Fine Art, graduating in 1977. Moving from abstraction towards more figurative self and family portraiture, her paintings focus on the exploration of her dual Indian-British identity, the female experience and the female gaze. Chuhan has exhbiited widely, often in the context of Sou...