Bread, Circuses and Home -Thukral and Tagra

Bread, Circuses and Home is a performative installation to unfold at Fed Square, drawing inspiration from the site of Akhara, the wrestling ground.

Consume the sights, tastes and sounds of Punjab in this vibrant installation and performance series about migration and resilience.

Bread, Circuses and Home is a free public installation and mini-festival by innovative Delhi-based artist duo Jiten Thukral (Jalandhar, Punjab) and Sumir Tagra (New Delhi).

Inspired by the artists’ research in Melbourne and their ongoing work with migrant communities, this work takes its cue from the urgent agricultural crisis faced by Punjabi farmers in India. Year on year, generational divisions of land, climate change, politics and inadequate laws have severely affected Punjabi farmers’ livelihoods, forcing many to relocate their lives, including to Australia.

Bread, Circuses and Home is a collaboration with Melbourne’s diverse Punjabi communities and a celebration of the unique ways that cultures adapt, survive and transform in the wake of international migration. Drawing inspiration from the act of kushti (a form of traditional Indian wrestling) and the wrestling ground Akhara, Bread, Circuses and Home is a free, vibrant display of Punjabi folk music, radio programming and interactive game plays will also accompany the installation.

Gather with the Punjabi community to learn, share meals, reflect and celebrate.