- Experience Saroj Patel’s vibrant mural and immersive hanging installation of handsewn flags, plus hands-on workshops by Oitij-Jo, in celebration of South Asian Heritage Month’s “Roots to Routes” theme
Artist Saroj Patel adorns Canary Wharf’s Crossrail Place Roof Garden with a vibrant mural and handsewn flags entitled “Shade of Two Suns”, complimented by craft workshops by Bangali creative collective Oitij-Jo this South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM).
Until Sunday 17 August, “Shade of Two Suns” floods the Wharf’s beloved roof garden with colour and movement, celebrating this year’s SAHM theme of “Roots to Routes”. Patel’s mural and draped flags take inspiration from the grasslands across her ancestorial home in Gujarat, India and the colourful shrines carved into the foothills of the Himalayas. Blending the homemade and the natural, the flags signal a sacred place where plants, pollinators and people meet.
In addition to Patel’s artwork, Oitij-Jo, a collective dedicated to providing platforms for creative practitioners to enhance British Bangla engagement with wider global communities, will be running two creative workshops in Crossrail Place Roof Garden. The first workshop on Tuesday 24 July will explore natural printing and dyeing techniques using florals. The second, on Sunday 3 August, will look at painting with spices inspired by Patel’s practice.
When speaking about their artwork artist Saroj Patel said, “These artworks are a celebration of my journeys across India and a reflection of my identity as a second-generation British Indian. The installation brings together a printed mural and hand-made flags – two interconnected elements inspired by the places, people and patterns that have shaped me.
Together, the mural and flags speak to a duality: the meeting of the two homelands, India and the UK. They represent the layered identity I carry and the sense of belonging I continue to shape – one rooted in both heritage and personal discovery.
To add to the experience, visitors can also download Saroj Patel’s colouring in sheets from the Canary Wharf website. Made up of six distinct patterns, Patel’s mural makes the perfect inspiration for a mindful artistic moment.
Shade of Two Suns:
Crossrail Place Roof Garden and “Shade of Two Suns” are both free for the public to enter and are open every day, sunrise to sunset.
Workshops and events:
Tuck Turn Twirl (A saree styling workshop) with The Space – Saturday 19 July, 11-12noon, free drop in sessions
Floral Dyeing – Thursday 24 July 6-7:30pm, £3pp
Poetry Evening with The Space Theatre – Thursday 24 July 5-8pm, free ticketed
Painting with Spices – Sunday 3 August 11am-2pm, Free drop in sessions
Notes to Editors
About Canary Wharf Group (‘CWG’)
Canary Wharf Group (CWG) is the developer of the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. CWG develops, manages and currently owns interests in approximately 9 million square feet of mixed-use space and over 1,100 Build to Rent apartments. Canary Wharf’s retail offering is ranked the UK’s number one shopping destination by Green Street.
CWG is committed to turning sustainability ambition into impactful action. Examples include purchasing 100% electricity from renewable sources since 2012, our partnership with the Eden Project creating a place for nature and people and working to deliver our Science-Based Targets.
CWG has created a 24/7 city where people can live, work and thrive and enjoy all the benefits that Canary Wharf provides: great transport links, access to 16.5 acres of green spaces and waterside living; and a wide range of amenities including an award-winning arts and events programme. Canary Wharf’s retail and leisure offer includes over 80 bars, cafes and restaurants and more than 320 shops, including 8 grocery stores, pharmacies and health clubs all within 15 minutes’ walk. CWG recorded its highest annual footfall of more than 72 million to its retail malls in 2024.
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