Iniva presents NS Harsha’s grand-scale installation Nations at Rivington Place, exhibited for the first time in the UK. Taking over the interior architecture, it questions international politics and globalisation with elegance and wit. 192 sewing machines are overlaid with calico painted flags signifying the countries that make up the United Nations.

NS Harsha has exhibited internationally, and works in a range of media including painting and installation. He combines details of cultural traditions in his native India with subjects in the news to reflect the shifting world. His work draws attention to the whimsical as well as to the tragic entanglement of life.

The 192 treadle sewing machines in Nations are connected by different coloured threads. The artist creates a vision of a world divided by flags and socio-cultural and economic lines. It raises issues of labour outsourcing, migration and the forces of global markets. The sewing machines are branded ‘Made in the People’s Republic of China’.

The use of cloth recalls the pivotal role of clothing in the national struggle for Independence of India. Mahatma Gandhi asked the Indian populace to eschew foreign clothes in order to boost the Indian clothing industry.

“There is immense anticipation to see NS Harsha’s Nations installation in this country, an artist who is better known for his paintings. He is an artist I have admired for many years for his understanding of humanitarian issues and ability to trigger unexpected responses from audiences.” Tessa Jackson, Interim Chief Executive

NS Harsha lives and works in Mysore, India. He was the recipient of the 3rd Artes Mundi Prize awarded in 2008 and worked with Iniva in 2000.