Hetain patel biography sampler

By continuing to browse the site you are consenting to their use. His honesty is his strength as he explores being a second-generation Gujarati British migrant, and how each day he walks between worlds; from an Indian home to the streets outside — and how he wants to create a bridge between these very different environments. It was by going back to his childhood games that Hetain Patel finds this bridge.

We were dancing around the office when he accepted our invitation to show with us, as we love the playfulness of his work. It is through the simple action of jumping off a sofa dressed in a homemade Spiderman outfit that Hetain speaks of so much more; childhood desires for inclusion, attempting to reconcile being othered, and finding acceptance through delving into the realms of fantasy.

While all along, celebrating your own heritage in a country steeped in colonial legacy. I wanted to take the supposed exoticism and marginality of my family and our home and connect it with something widely recognised — like a pop culture icon such as Spiderman. The film is also about love and acceptance. There is so much affection in the room — it is tender, heartfelt and accepting - and its why I can watch the film again and again.

Hetain patel biography sampler: Exploring the blurred lines

The exhibition includes other artworks too — a life size model of Hetain Patel dressed as Spiderman sits alongside a wonderful photograph of him and his grandmother. Behind the two of them is a wall covered in family photos — weddings, school portraits, graduation shots — those rites of passage we all celebrate. This is what fascinates me most about Hetain Patel — how he creates his own visual language.