Hetain Patel

Last updated

Hetain Patel
Born1980
NationalityBritish
Education The University of Salford UK, The Nottingham Trent University UK
Style performance, video, sculpture, photography
SpouseEva Patel
Website http://www.hetainpatel.com/

Hetain Patel; (born 1980) is an English visual artist specializing in performance, sculpture, video, and photography. His work has been exhibited in Norway, India, Belgium, and throughout the UK.

Contents

Early life

Patel was born and raised in a working-class British Gujarati Asian household in Bolton, England. He was subjected to racial abuse from his wider community, and found “just walking from the house to the car was difficult.” [1]

As a child Patel developed a keen interest in superhero movies, playing as Spider-man in his grandmother's house. Patel was eager to conceal his ethnic identity using the Spider-man mask stating: “...what I wanted to be most when I grew up was white.” [1] [2]

Work

In addition to sci-fi and mainstream influenced works, (including work associated with pop-culture superheroes such as Spider-man [3] ), Patel experiments with addressing problems of multiculturalism and self-acceptance. [4]

The alienation and racial abuse Patel suffered growing up motivates him to produce art that is inclusive, uplifts and appreciates marginalised groups.[ citation needed ] As Patel became older a major inspiration was his father, who worked at a day job converting cars, inspiring him to create his first sculpture.Patel converted his first car, gifted by his father in 1997, into his first sculpture Fiesta Transformer. [5] The converted Ford Fiesta sculpture has become a symbol of the working-class.[ citation needed ] Patel's attraction to fantasticism along with movies such as Transformers influenced his sculpture, hence the title Fiesta Transformer. [6]

Patel's exploration of identity and culture is a key feature and common theme throughout his work. [7] Sacred Bodies(2004/5) [8] is a collection of self-portraits in which Patel tries to better understand his Indian cultural heritage. To create each piece, he covered his upper body in patterns using henna (a pigment used for mehndi) and a red pigment, Kanku, [9] used for markings of cultural importance in Hindu communities. [10]

Patel also uses his art to explore the concepts behind masculinity. Oh Man (2018) was a collaborative project between Contact Youth Company and Hetain Patel which explored both the positive qualities of masculinity and the problems caused by toxic masculinity, as well as trying to understand how perceptions of masculinity can affect people of all genders. [11]

In 2013 he made his debut at TED Global conference in Edinburgh. Patel spoke about assumptions and expectations made on how people look like, sound, their heritage, gender or race, and class. Hetain puts emphasis on a fact that even if we fail while imitating our role models, we still might learn and discover ourselves by imitating them. [12]

In 2014, a UK based dance company Candoco known for their disabled and non-disabled performers, has assigned Hetain Patel to create a choreographical art piece. In his first ever commissioned dance choreography Patel brings to the surface social concerns such as representation exploration and identity perception of Candoco's dancers. [13] Lets Talk About Dis challenges viewers in its own playful tone to think beyond boundaries and offers them a courage to be much more honest and transparent about their personalities and communication. However, during 30 minutes, there is not much typically expected dance showing involved. Patel and dancers focuses on delivering a message on diversity, inclusion and improper public correctness. Hetain smartly navigate audience with a minimal spoken word parts of performance, through the fluid usage of three languages: English, French and BSL. [14]

Selected exhibitions

Performance

Films and video

Sculpture

Photography

Other exhibitions

Education

Selected awards

Related Research Articles

Sir Matthew Christopher Bourne is a British choreographer. His productions contain many classic cinema and popular culture references and draw thematic inspiration from musicals, film noir and popular culture

Christine Borland is a Scottish artist. Born in Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland, Borland is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) and was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1997 for her work From Life at Tramway, Glasgow. Borland works and lives in Kilcreggan, Argyll, as a BALTIC Professor at the BxNU Institute of Contemporary Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Dance Theatre</span> Australian contemporary dance company

Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman. The ADT was the first modern dance company in Australia, and drew on the techniques of Martha Graham for its inspiration.

<i>Aesthetica</i> Art and culture magazine


Aesthetica Magazine is an internationally recognized publication focusing on art and culture. Established in 2002, the magazine provides bi-monthly coverage of contemporary art across various disciplines, including visual arts, photography, architecture, fashion, and design. With wide distribution, it has garnered a readership of over 311,000 globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Galván</span> Spanish flamenco dancer (born 1973)

Israel Galván Reyes is a Spanish flamenco dancer (bailaor) and choreographer. He grew up learning and dancing with his father, the dancer José Galván, and his mother, Eugenia Reyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AXIS Dance Company</span>

AXIS Dance Company is a professional physically integrated contemporary dance company and dance education organization founded in 1987 and based in Oakland, California. It is one of the first contemporary dance companies in the world to consciously develop choreography that integrates dancers with and without physical disabilities. Their work has received nine Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and nine additional nominations for both their artistry and production values.

Candoco Dance Company is a contemporary physically integrated dance company, founded in 1991 by Celeste Dandeker and Adam Benjamin. The company is based at the Aspire National training centre in Stanmore, North London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javier de Frutos</span>

Javier De Frutos is a Spanish-Venezuelan director, choreographer and designer was named by the Evening Standard as one of 2016 most influential people in London.

Founded in 1843, the School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave (artist)</span> American visual artist, sculptor, dancer, and performance artist

Nick Cave is an American sculptor, dancer, performance artist, and professor. He is best known for his Soundsuit series: wearable assemblage fabric sculptures that are bright, whimsical, and other-worldly, often made with found objects. He also trained as a dancer with Alvin Ailey and often incorporates dance and performance into his works. His later sculptures have focused on color theory and included mixed media and large-scale installations. He lives in Chicago, Illinois, and directs the graduate fashion program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He continues to work on Soundsuits as well as works completed as a sculptor, dancer, and performance artist.

The physically integrated dance movement is part of the disability culture movement, which recognizes and celebrates the first-person experience of disability, not as a medical model construct but as a social phenomenon, through artistic, literary, and other creative means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Gander</span> British artist

Ryan Gander OBE RA is a British artist. Since 2003, Gander has produced a body of artworks in different forms, ranging from sculpture, apparel, writing, architecture, painting, typefaces, publications, and performance. Additionally, Gander curates exhibitions, has worked as an educator at art institutions and universities, and has written and presented television programmes on and about contemporary art and culture for the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashrath Patel</span> Indian artist

Dashrath Patel was an Indian designer, sculptor, and was one of the first teachers at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, from 1961 to 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Cunningham</span>

Claire Cunningham is a Scottish choreographer and dancer who performs on crutches. She creates dances and sculpture that involve crutches for people of all abilities. She identifies herself as a disabled person.

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, England, at the beginning of November. Founded in 2011, it is a celebration of independent film from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Maclean (artist)</span>

Rachel Maclean is a Scottish multi-media artist. She lives and works in Glasgow. She has shown widely in the UK and internationally, in galleries, museums, film festivals and on television. Maclean produces elaborate films and digital prints using extravagant costume, over-the-top make-up, green screen vfx and electronic soundtracks.

Adam Basanta is a Montreal-based artist and experimental composer whose practice investigates manifestations of technology as a meeting point of concurrent and overlapping systems. He uses various media and creates participatory and multi-sensory performances.

Celeste Dandeker is a British dancer who fell and was left with quadriplegia. She is known for co-founding the Candoco Dance Company which features both disabled and able-bodied dancers. She has danced, designed costumes, created dances and she became the artistic director and then patron of Candoco.

Sekai Machache is a visual artist and curator who lives in Glasgow, Scotland, and works internationally. She works primarily in photography and seeks to interrogate the notion of self.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benji Reid</span>

Benji Reid is a British photographer, visual theatre maker, and educator. His work focuses on the intersection of race, nationhood, and gender with particular attention to the Black British experience, Black masculinity, and mental health.

References

  1. 1 2 Jonze, Tim (26 November 2019). "How artist Hetain Patel went from Spider-Man fan to Spandex-clad star". the Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Patel, Hetain. "Letter to Peter Parker 2015". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. www.horlix.com, James Hall @ HeX Productions |. "The Other Suit 2, 2015". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Hetain Patel - Edinburgh Showcase". edinburghshowcase.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 Patel, Hetain. "Fiesta Transformer 2013". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. www.horlix.com, James Hall @ HeX Productions |. "Fiesta Transformer 2013". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  7. Patel, Hetain. "My Work". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. www.horlix.com, James Hall @ HeX Productions |. "Sacred Bodies 2004/5". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  9. Patel, Hetain. "Sacred Bodies 2004/5". Hetain Patel. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. 1 2 "BBC Manchester - The Arts - Lagan - a new body of work by Hetain Patel". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  11. "Contact Young Company and Hetain Patel: Oh Man review – masculinity bites". the Guardian. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  12. Patel, Hetain (18 October 2013), Who am I? Think again , retrieved 9 September 2021
  13. "Let's Talk About Dis". Candoco. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  14. Bennett, Jayne. "Candoco explores identity and perception at Bristol Old Vic with and a cast of disabled and non-disabled dancers." Gazette Series [Dursley, England], 23 Jan. 2016. Gale OneFile: News, https;//link.gale.com/apps/doc/A522497588/STND?u=inde80299&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=c67dcdb0. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.
  15. "Mehndi - Reflected Identity - Wolverhampton Arts & Culture". www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  16. "Hetain Patel: Be Like Water –". www.lancasterarts.org. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  17. "Let's Talk About Dis". Candoco. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  18. "American Boy". Dansens Hus (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  19. "Aesthetica Magazine - Hetain Patel: American Boy, Sadler's Wells Theatre". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  20. "Cross-culture project brings leading South Asian artists to Manchester". www.theartnewspaper.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  21. "Hetain Patel | Chatterjee & Lal" . Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  22. "HETAIN PATEL: AT HOME (PAST TOURING)". www.nae.org.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  23. "HetainPatelBaasGold". C Ø P P E R F I E L D. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  24. Arts Council England; Annual review 2005; p.8
  25. "Hetain Patel wins Nottingham Creative Business Award | IBEF". www.ibef.org. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  26. "The Jarman Award 2019". Film London. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  27. "Patel, Hetain". Kino der Kunst. Retrieved 10 September 2021.