Tate Liverpool reopens with a major exhibition by Chila Kumari Singh Burman. One of the UK’s most dynamic and spellbinding visual artists, Chila is unapologetically bold, with a politically charged practice that addresses self-representation, feminism, gender, colonialism and her diasporic Hindu Punjabi heritage.
The exhibition spans five decades of Chila’s creative making. Prints, drawings, painting, films, installation, sculptures and her signature neons demonstrate Chila’s expansive approach to subject, process and materials. Fired by a boundless curiosity, Chila’s characterful iconography is steeped in contemporary culture in all its forms: found motifs, slogans, song lyrics, bindis, glitter and a palette inspired by her father’s ice-cream van, pitched on Freshfield Beach, Formby. The result are meticulously crafted pieces, with a rich variety of references and meaning. Chila’s work disrupts expectations and defies stereotypes and easy categorisation. It is both profoundly autobiographical and sparkles with mass appeal. This sophisticated, ever-relevant exhibition entices while packing a punch – a testament to the artist’s distinctive voice and purposeful endeavour across half a century.
Chila Kumari Singh Burman is supported by the Bagri Foundation, with additional support from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Chila Kumari Singh Burman Supporters Circle, Tate Patrons and Tate Americas Foundation.
Supported by Tate Members.