Jambo Cinema

Jambo Cinema is a multifaceted installation emerging from a nostalgic time in artist Dawinder Bansal‘s childhood in Wolverhampton. The project is influenced by her time growing up as a young girl in her parents’ electrical shop, Bansal Electrical, which also rented VHS Bollywood films. It draws upon her memories of watching Bollywood films with her Sikh extended family, pays homage to her Kenyan roots, and explores the social history of South Asian home entertainment in 1980s Britain.

Bansal Electrical closed in 1989, and the stock was put into storage until now. In 2015, she began to explore the extensive archive of the original VHS tapes, fixtures, fittings, and electrical supplies from the shop. Reconstructing her Kenyan-Indian living room along with the corner-shop, this iteration of Jambo Cinema will re-envision Bansal Electrical for the first time.

Fun, warm, and evocative– Dawinder wants Jambo Cinema to be a communal space for people from all backgrounds. Filled with family memorabilia, this exhibition will instigate audiences to imagine what it means to be a second-generation child growing up in a first-generation South Asian home in Britain.

Jambo Cinema by Dawinder Bansal at New Art Exchange, 18 Jan – 15 March 2020

Watch BBC Breakfast’s interview with Dawinder Bansal about Jambo Cinema.

For Full Screen Viewing
Click Here