'Afternoon Chai', inspired by William Hogarth's 'Assembly at Wanstead House' (1728-1731) brings to light the historical links between the London Borough of Redbridge and the East India Company (EIC), which once dominated world trade. The work reimagines the ballroom scene from the original painting and featured the aristocratic family engaged in tea drinking and card playing. Sir Josiah Child, 1st Baronet, who was the Governor of the East India Company (EIC), bought the Wanstead estate in the 1670s. Using his immense wealth from colonial trade, he transformed the landscape and developed stunning gardens. His son Richard later built the grand Palladian mansion, Wanstead House, on the estate, which was completed in 1722 but demolished in 1825, now the site of Wanstead Golf Course and Wanstead Park. The EIC also had many of its employees residing in Ilford, Wanstead, and Woodford.

Tirvengadum interweaves the past into a new tapestry where four South Asian women, including Sabrina and friends who grew up in Redbridge, gather around a lavish table with a view of Wanstead House. The piece, a blend of AI image manipulation, archival images, and digital painting, surrounds them with symbols of their heritage: tea, spices, rugs, silk textiles, and porcelain, all items that the EIC imported, and still enrich our daily lives, inviting viewers to explore new aspects of both Redbridge's and the United Kingdom’s history, acknowledging the global influences of colonialism and conquest on our local and national environment. This work seamlessly blends, East and West, truth and fiction into a colorful tableau that unearths the echoes of history that still resonate. Like many of Sabrina’s works, ‘Afternoon Chai’ not only blurs time but brings the past into the present and the once hidden into focus.

Together with our artists  Parallel LDN gives 20%  of the sales proceeds to non profits that foreground social and environmental Impact,  Chosen by the Artist.

Sabrinas chosen non profit for this exhibition is the 1834 Collective  - 1834 Collective is an interdisciplinary art collective exploring the global histories and contemporary echoes of Indian indentureship. The Collective uses art to amplify and honour their community.