Art
The Gilded Cage -
The Textile Art of
Amarjeet Kaur Nandhra
by THE ART MINISTRY
The talented artist, Amarjeet Kaur Nandhra, who is nationally acclaimed for her work in textiles, wall hangings and 3D sculptures, is currently working on a project that promises to be exciting, highly original and deeply affecting.
Her work will be showcased at the highly profiled final year show in Stitched Textiles in Windsor, Berkshire, U.K., from June 20 to 23. [Details below.]
In her work, she explores her Sikh heritage, as well as her personal experiences in parenting and relationships.
The techniques she currently uses range from screen-printing and discharge to machine and hand embroidery. Each process is skillfully layered to produce a visually stunning and moving piece of work. All this within the creative aspects of textile art. Who said that meaningful art was dead?
Amarjeet's work is a delicate balance; a relationship between the powerful message that is always present and the desire to create pieces that are aesthetically appealing. With this in her mind's eye, her project focuses on the social aspects of humanity: codes of behaviour; rules set out to govern various aspects of our lives; and their impact on individuals and society as a whole.
Amarjeet is involved in an exciting venture with the London Transport Museum Textiles Project. There will be four textile-based workshops with the South Acton Skills and Arts Collaborative, later this year in July and August. The group consists of mostly women, from a diverse range of ethnicities, drawn from the Acton estate. They meet up to take part in activities, mostly sewing, and improve their English. The women have worked on similar projects before.
Textile Artist
As a young graphic design student in 1980's London, Amarjeet's interests did not include sewing. However, with an unceremonious push by an intuitive teacher, she stumbled into the world of textile art, a medium that proved to ignite her passion where other art forms had failed. Textile or "fibre art" opened up a universe of possibilities that still intrigue Amarjeet some twenty-four years on.
Today, as a successful independent artist, Amarjeet produces vibrant and provocative pieces, ranging from wall hangings to free-standing three-dimensional sculptures. She uses all types of materials in her practice, including fabric, paper, metal and glass. The remarkable graphic power in Amarjeet's work often derives from the dramatic events in her own life, which include references to both her Asian heritage and British home. Over the years, she has developed a unique style and technique that embodies both Eastern and Western traditions of textile art.
Amarjeet builds her pieces layer by layer, using textiles and other materials in the same way a painter uses paint. For the artist, the technical and aesthetic values of her work hold as much interest as the underlying personal and social references. "People need to look at something beautiful - to be seduced," she says. "I put so much meaning into my work without falling into the trap of being overtly political or outspoken."
As Amarjeet works, she comments on her life and the world around her, capturing moods and feelings of specific times and events within the layers. The use of cloth from her wedding dress for example, or images of her father's funeral, add depth and purpose to her work.
The pieces in new exhibition are lavishly embroidered, a feast in the lush pigment, embracing the visual richness of both Asian and British culture. Ancient texts and philosophies and images of rites of passage are often worked into the fabric, while images of loved ones are also just visible under a mesh of textiles.
The celebrated piece, "The Gilded Trap", is a testament to this fusion of cultures and Amarjeet's talent and artistry. This highly original 3D work covers centuries of traditions. Significantly, it rests within the Moghul and Sikh periods, when taar-kashi (gold thread work) was at its height. Its fragility and delicate weave are deceiving, as the Gilded Trap is an object of beauty hiding painful experiences, based upon the traditional Indian story of "The Golden Cage."
"The Joining of Two" celebrates the ancient tradition of henna painting and the Sikh wedding. The words, written in the Gurmukhi script, are from the marriage ceremony, describing what a wife is to a husband and a husband to a wife. Experiencing difficulties in her own marriage at the time, this piece is profoundly personal.
Amarjeet's work brings together the long-standing tradition of textiles and embroidery in Britain and the Sub-continent. Women have sewn together for centuries, and her practice embodies that history, revealing how women see and experience the most important moments of their lives. These pieces connect all women in a deep and shared consciousness, reflecting how we collectively experience and remember.
Amarjeet's ambition to encourage the exploration of textile art is a long- term goal that usually keeps her occupied in workshops for several months of the year. Her knowledge of textiles and graphic design has also presented her with other great opportunities, including the position of Art Director on two British feature films and several shorts.
The Exhbition will be at the East Berkshire College Windsor Campus, St. Leonard's Rd, Windsor, Berkshire, U.K.) from Wednesday, June 20 to Saturday, June 23, from 10am to 6pm. Private View is on Tuesday, June 19 at 6.30pm at the same location.
www.artministry.co.uk/amarjeetkaurnandhra/
Re the artwork shown on this page:
* Top of the page - Peacock
Series: Connections. Original One-off. Decorated papers, digital images, patched & pieced embellished with machine embroidery. 2001 England.
This piece captures the coming of the monsoon with the rich earthy tones of a scorched landscape and blues for the torrential rains. Within it, the artist captures the peacock, which plays a crucial role - when you hear its call, you know the rains are coming.
* Bottom of the page - Words Apart
Series: Connections. Original One-off. Fabric, paper, text, was embellished with hand embroidery. 2005 England."Words Apart" is an abyss of the emotions experienced through marital separation. The swirling deep earth colours of the background signify confusion dispersed with moments of clarity. The words in English and the Gurmukhi script, evoking the artist's Sikh heritage, speak of the sacred rights of marriage; a concept now in tatters in her personal life.
* Second from bottom - The Gilded Cage
Series: Connections. Original One-off. Metal, paper, wire embellished with machine embroidery & beads. 2001 England.
The celebrated piece, "The Gilded Cage", is a testament to the fusion of cultures and the artist's talent and mastery. This highly original 3D work covers centuries of traditions. Significantly, it rests within the Moghul and Sikh periods, when taar-kashi (gold thread work) was at its height. Its fragility and delicate weave are deceiving, as the gilded cage is an object of beauty hiding painful experiences, based upon the ancient fable of "The Golden Cage."
* Third from bottom - Arches
Series: Connections. Original One-off. Decorated papers, digital images, patched & pieced embellished with machine embroidery. 2002 England.
The sanctity and beauty of a place of worship is marred by the spilling of blood. Using gold paper and sacred text, set against the entrance to a temple, the artist makes a powerful statement about the futility and hypocrisy of conflict.