Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021) was a Nottingham-based painter. Her family moved from India to the UK when she was 10, and she subsequently studied at Cardiff College of Art and Design, and then Birmingham Polytechnic. During her lifetime, Sikand's work was mainly interpreted via her use of Hindu iconography and her stated interest in Kaligat and Mithila painting from Bengal and rural Bihar respectively. While certainly important, the prioritisation of these 'South Asian' framings left little opportunity to consider Sikand's work in relation to other artistic practices or lineages. Using works acquired by public collections during her lifetime, this Curation will reflect on how Sikand's paintings weave together diverse referents and complex subjectivities.
The Glance 1991
Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021)
Gouache on paper
H 52.2 x W 62.5 cm
Wolverhampton Arts and Heritage
Striped Heads 1994
Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021)
Gouache on paper
H 20.8 x W 29.4 cm
Nottingham City Museums & Galleries
Figure and Head 1994
Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021)
Gouache on paper
H 28.5 x W 40.5 cm
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre
Untitled II 1994
Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021)
Gouache on paper
H 34 x W 41.7 cm
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre
Landscape with Woman and Trees 1994
Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021)
Watercolour & gouache on paper
H 28 x W 40.3 cm
Bradford Museums and Galleries
The Doll 1994
Gurminder Sikand (1960–2021)
Watercolour & gouache on paper
H 30 x W 42 cm
Bradford Museums and Galleries
