In January 2001, Catherine Yass represented Britain at the 10th Indian Triennale, where she won a prestigious prize for Star, six portraits of famous Indian filmstars and four images of the auditoriums of cinemas in Mumbai. The work was presented as photographic transparencies mounted in lightboxes and was specially commissioned by the British Council for its first showing at the Triennale, which is a showcase for artists from all over the world and featured 30 artists from foreign countries and 37 from India.

Living in the East End of London, Yass’ first awareness of Indian film came via the large Asian community there. In November 2000 she made her first visit to Mumbai, where with support from our local office, she was able to meet and photograph six of the highest profile film stars currently working in the industry: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt and Karisma Kapoor.

Catherine Yass was born in London in 1963, and studied at the Slade School of Art and Goldsmiths’ College, London.  She has exhibited on an international level, with shows in Oslo, Reykjavik, Prague and Tokyo.  Significant group exhibitions include Light x 8, Jewish Museum, New York, 2000, Manifesta I, Rotterdam, 1996 and the British Art Show 4, Cornerhouse, Manchester, 1995.  Catherine has had recent solo shows at the New Art Gallery Walsall, 2000 and at the Jerwood Gallery, London, 2001. In 1999 she won the Glen Dimplex Award and in 2000 she created the Christmas tree for Tate Britain.  She was nominated for the 2002 Turner Prize in part for the works in Star.

Star is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue available through Cornerhouse Publications http://www.cornerhouse.org published in Hindi and English by the British Council with an essay by the celebrated author, Vikram Chandra, entitled Gazing at Stars.  After the showing in Delhi which closed on 21 February 2001, the exhibition was toured by the British Council to Jaipur, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Star was generously sponsored by Air India.

Catherine Yass works from Star now form part of the British Council Collection.

For further information please contact Caroline Douglas