Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Photo: Sean Weaver ©Art Gallery of Ontario
Museums and galleries increase access to art and the visibility of artists. The Art Bank fosters relationships with these institutions in many ways, including lending pieces for public exhibitions across Canada and abroad. This year, the Art Bank lent three Sarindar Dhaliwal works from its collection to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). These pieces are part of the exhibition, Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours, on display until July 14, 2024.
Seeing life through a colourful lens
This show is an homage to the many contributions Dhaliwal has made to Canadian art in her 40-year career. Featured works include mixed-media pieces, large-scale installations and photographs. They explore themes such as memory, identity and migration. All display Dhaliwal’s trademark use of intense colours and compelling imagery.
A constant journey towards art
Dhaliwal was born in Punjab, India. She moved to England with her family at the age of four and spent her childhood there. As a teenager, Dhaliwal emigrated to Canada. A few years later, she returned to England to complete her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts at Falmouth University in Cornwall. She holds a Master of Arts from York University and a PhD in Fine Arts from Queen’s University.
Dhaliwal has been exhibiting her work since 1983. Her distinctive talent and tireless work ethic have resulted in touring exhibitions, her works being held in permanent collections and formal recognition across Canada and abroad.
Featured work in her words
The best descriptions of Dhaliwal’s work come from the artist herself. She shares her words on some of the works currently on loan from the Art Bank to the AGO.
Sarindar Dhaliwal, 28 ambassador cars (2010)
“I began to photograph Ambassador cars in 1996. The Ambassador was considered the definitive Indian car – based on the British Morris Oxford model and in production since 1957.” Dhaliwal explains. “Ambassadors are fast disappearing, as middle-class Indians have more choice in the purchasing of automobiles due to a robust economy. This work comments on consumerism and the relative monetary value we place on objects.” She goes on to say, “It is part of a larger body of work that is thematically cohesive, with colour as the primary subject matter. My practice, which is multidisciplinary, has always made use of systematic and arbitrary collecting processes, and those accumulations define the genesis, materiality and content of the pieces.”
Sarindar Dhaliwal, Triple Self Portrait with Persimmon and Pomegranates (1988)
“This painting was an act of resistance against the authoritative voices of the art world, which characterized my work as too decorative, too personal. So I created the most decorative and colourful work possible, with flowers, figures, birds, animals, fruits and maps—a ‘portrait’ of my life in Asia, Europe and North America. It revisits previous visual vocabularies, juxtaposed in the shallow space of the miniature to allow for different realities to coexist. It also demonstrates links between my installations and paintings, some exploring the mother-daughter bond. My practice has always been connected to the emotional underpinnings of my life.”
Sarindar Dhaliwal, Indian Billboard (2000)
Dhaliwal reflects on her artwork, saying, “I didn’t go back to the village where I was born until 2002. I remember looking out of the train and seeing a little structure in a field. It had yellow, pink and some other colours. It was sitting in a field of green. When I saw that I thought, no wonder I use so much colour.”
Discover more about the artist.
If you are in or near Toronto, Ontario, visit the AGO to see these works and others in person. The exhibition is on display until July 14, 2024. If you can’t visit in person, Sarindar Dhaliwal welcomes viewers into her home studio to discuss her artwork, process and practice in this video produced by the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Learn more about the Art Bank's loan program on the blog.