Following a successful solo exhibition at Focal Point Gallery in 2025, East Quay is pleased to present Always Coming Home, a new solo exhibition by Indian artist, eco-feminist, and activist Poulomi Basu (b. 1983, Calcutta, India).

Spanning both gallery spaces at East Quay, the exhibition brings together moving image, sculptural installation, and photography. Basu’s work explores migration, systems of power, and their impact on the body, particularly brown bodies, within an increasingly volatile world. Central to the exhibition are Basu’s own experiences as an immigrant to the UK, reflecting on displacement and the psychological and emotional consequences of leaving one’s home due to conflict, violence, and political instability.

Basu’s practice is informed by South Asian Futurism, an artistic movement that reimagines the region’s future where traditional culture, mythology, and technology coalesce. Her work challenges colonial legacies while addressing urgent political, social, and environmental concerns, including climate change, religious conflict, and the patriarchal systems of power, and proposes alternative and speculative futures.

In Gallery 1, Basu presents Always Coming Home, an immersive moving-image installation projected onto a large suspended spherical object. Evoking an asteroid or black hole, the sphere hovers in a suspended moment before impact, serving as a powerful metaphor for war, destruction, and climate catastrophe. The work interweaves footage of conflict, ruined architecture, nocturnal landscapes, and personal archival material to create a poignant meditation on home, loss, and the forces that compel migration. It also reflects the complexities of bi-national identity, capturing the tension of belonging to multiple places simultaneously. Rooted in personal history, the work draws on Basu’s upbringing in a violent domestic environment and, as a result, is shaped by her mother’s encouragement to “live a life of choices.”

The exhibition also includes a selection of existing works alongside pieces from Basu’s series Sisters of the Moon, developed in partnership with WaterAid. Shot in Iceland, these self-portraits depict the artist in stark, dystopian landscapes devoid of water and life. The series critiques patriarchal and capitalist systems, imagining a future shaped by environmental collapse and the oppression of women. Through this work, Basu addresses gender-based violence, systemic inequality, and issues surrounding access to water, sanitation, and menstrual health.

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