The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985 runs through July 2.
By Rachel Gallaher
As published in GRAY magazine No. 62
Hindustan Lever Pavilion, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. 1961. Demolished. Charles Correa (1930–2015), and Mahendra Raj (b. 1924). Exterior view. Image: Mahendra Raj Archives, Courtesy MoMA
Opening on February 20, 2022, the latest design- forward exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art will explore the post-colonial development of modern architecture in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Titled the Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985, the show will include more than 200 works, including original sketches, drawings, photographs, films, audiovisual components, and architectural models sourced from design leaders and institutions in the aforementioned countries. Divided into sections—Institution Building, Education, Political Spaces, and Industry and Infra- structure—but united by an examination of how material cultures shaped an experimental expression of modern architecture in the region, Project of Independence will cast a new light on the infrastructure of South Asia, and on those who designed and built it.