India became the first overseas destination for the iconic ‘The White Horse' (2013) sculpture by Turner Prize winning artist Mark Wallinger. The sculpture was unveiled at the British Council building here earlier this week.The horse, made of marble and resin is a life-size representation of a thoroughbred, created using state of the art technology, is commissioned by the British Council, London. It will be on view on the front lawns of the British Council for the next three years. “We are delighted that the British Prime Minister David Cameron along with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has announced 2017 as the UK-India Year of Culture to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Indian independence. The Year of Culture 2017 will see an exciting festival of events celebrating the vibrant cultural history of the two countries, when top UK institutions will partner Indian counterparts. We will be opening up a new place on our front lawns, opposite ‘The White Horse’ which will showcase works by Indian artists, the equivalent of Trafalgar square’s fourth plinth,” said Rob Lynes, Director, British Council India.
The installation illustrates Wallinger’s continuing fascination with the horse, and its emblematic status in British national history. It relates to the ancient history of hillside depictions of white horses in England but the pose is familiar from current depictions of thoroughbred stallions and has been replicated throughout the history of art from Stubbs’ painting of Eclipse to Wallinger’s own paintings of stallions from the Darley Stud.The unveiling of the sculpture is part of British Council’s arts and culture initiative, ‘Re-Imagine Arts’, that aims at building creative connections between the two countries. The focus in India on ‘Re-imagine Arts’ involves designing and delivering programmes, which update perceptions of the two countries in the 21st century.