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Balraj Khanna

Balraj Khanna

The Great Wall of Small is Beautiful

Balraj Khanna: The Great Wall of Small is Beautiful is a first for Jerwood Gallery, Hastings, with virtually all of Khanna’s new, jewel-like paintings will be on display together for the very first time.

After graduating in English Literature from the University of Chandigarh, in his native Punjab state, Khanna came to Britain in 1962 to study for a degree at Oxford University. However, due to the disorder created by the Indo-Chinese war, the necessary documentation from India never arrived, denying him his place.

Unfazed, he saw this as an opportunity to pursue his fascination with painting, and established himself in swinging Sixties London. Through much of his career, Khanna had developed a reputation for producing large format works – exemplified by the 13 meters by 8 metres (42ft by 26ft) safety curtain he created for the Birmingham Hippodrome in 2001, which is the largest piece of public art in the UK.  The Great Wall of Small is Beautiful celebrates the impact that Khanna’s small form works has displaying them all at once for the very first time.