Lahore in the V&A Collections: Exploring the arts of the Mughal and Sikh capital city

Susan Stronge takes us on a fascinating journey in which she highlights the exquisite objects which mark the artistry and creativity in the history of Lahore.

Susan Stronge

Susan Stronge is a Senior Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum. She is the award-winning curator of The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms exhibition, but her main focus is Mughal court culture, about which she has written several books and many articles. Her interests merge in this talk about the rich diversity of artistic production in the Mughal and Sikh capital, Lahore.

From Lahore under the Mughals, when Emperor Akbar moved the Mughal court to the city, making it a place of new artistic practices and production to Akbar's son Jahangir, who made architectural changes in Lahore and then onto the end of the Mughal empire. From there to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who helped to build up and revive the city and its artistic industries (e.g. reconstruction of the Lahore Fort and the armouries). Finally, she will cover the British annexation of the Punjab right through to the present day contemporary artists at the National College of Arts in Lahore.

Mallika Kaur

Mallika Kaur will talk about her recent book that tells the unusual sides to Punjab's conflict story.

Haroon Khalid

Haroon Khalid is an anthropologist and author of four books. Walking with Nanak is his highly rated third book and is a result of a lifetime’s fascination with the life of Guru Nanak. In the words of The Hindustan Times : “Khalid manages to bring the founder of Sikhism to life, manages to walk with him, and manages to take readers along.”

Prof Nikki Guninder Kaur Singh

Prof Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh drawing upon her work on the Guru Granth Sahib will discuss how the female was exalted by the Gurus to ensure equality.

Kim Wagner

This talk explores the little-known history of the ‘Kooka’ Massacre.

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