How Clive of India’s 1767 sofa ended up in a British south Asian living room

Three of the artists involved in the Perspective(s) project, from left to right: Hannan Jones, Nasia Sarwar-Skuse and Jasmine-Violet Sheckleford, sit on the sofa once owned by Clive of India. Photograph: Kara Thomas/The Guardian

The plush red and gold French-style sofa was made for Clive of India in 1767 for his London home and, for the past 60 years, has formed part of a museum collection in Cardiff, devoid of any explanation of the role its owner played in south Asia.

Now, though, it finds itself in a very different space – slap bang in the middle of a cosy recreation of a British south Asian living room produced by the artist Nasia Sarwar-Skuse as part of a project to “decolonise” Wales’s national museums and arts organisations.