It’s quite hard to describe what, exactly, you are seeing at this show, but it was interesting and engaging to see the work of so many contemporary artists from places as diverse as Hawaii, Cambodia, India, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines… what a great sweep of the world to try and represent!

The works, above, caught my eye because they represented people and events: La Famillle Pomare by Aline Amaru from Tahiti, Independence Celebration by Mathias Kauge from Papua New Guinea and Svay Ken’s depiction of People on 18th April 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia

What’s striking is that so many of the images referenced violence, domination and occupation. These regions have been buffeted by so many of the greedy countries of the West for whom faraway lands represented an opportunity to take by force, own and exploit. So there’s a lot of that on show.

Above you can see: Pala Pothupitiye’s Kaulara Fort which gives an impression of the colonial experience in Sri Lanka, showing a fort first built by the Portuguese, captured by the Dutch and then taken over by the British. Middle is Heri Dini’s Eating Bullets, a rather ‘Guernica-like’ expression of invasion and fury and on the right is a depiction of Vietnamese planes and Pol Pot Soldiers in battle.

Good to see a variety of sculptures and crafts too. I was impressed by these three, painted dishes and everyday objects, a ceramic bust by Ah Xian from China who works in Australia, and Spikey One by Shirley Macnamara from Queensland, Australia who uses spinifex, emu features, ashes, porcupine quills and polymer.

The exhibition ends with a spectacular sculpture depicting the Phoenix Pavilion which is part of Kyoto’s Byodo-in temple complex. Made from Japanese cypress he building appears to float on water with a reflection created to mirror the building. And Montein Boonma from Thailand has created Lotus Sound, made from terracotta ‘bells’ which is very beguiling.

The exhibition is on show near the main entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum until 10th January 2027