The exhibition will showcase the lived experiences of a South Asian family in Coventry from 1968 to 2010, drawing on Coventry Archives’ Virk Collection and curator & artist Hardish Virk’s ‘Stories That Made Us’ Collection. This will include photographs, books, magazines, posters, vinyl records, cassettes, and personal memorabilia that tell the story of migration, activism, identity and cultural contributions. The exhibition will also feature immersive room settings, oral histories, radio broadcasts, music, video, and graphics to bring these stories to life.

Coventry is home to a vibrant South Asian community, with 18.5% of the city’s population identifying as Asian or Asian British (2021 Census). Despite this, the stories and contributions of South Asian communities are often underrepresented in public collections and exhibitions. This project aims to address this gap by preserving and sharing the heritage of South Asian migrants and their descendants, ensuring their stories are accessible to future generations.

Themes of Roots (the journey of migration and the contributions of South Asian communities to British society), Resilience (the challenges faced and overcome by migrants and their families), and Representation (the importance of telling these stories authentically and without stereotyping) will be explored in the exhibition. By doing so, it will challenge conventional views of heritage and highlight the importance of living memory and personal experiences.