The Singh Twins (twin sisters Amrit Singh MBE and Rabindra Kaur Singh MBE) are British artists who work together on their artworks. Their work draws on both traditional Indian (in particular, Sikh) tradition, Western medieval illuminated manuscripts and contemporary Western culture, often 'pop culture'. Their work has been shown in galleries and museums such as the National Portrait Gallery in London. Both sisters were conferred with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2011.
Early life
Twin sisters Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh are British artists of Sikh heritage. They were born in Richmond, Surrey, and raised in Birkenhead. They were the only non-Catholics to attend their Catholic convent school, Holt Hill Convent. In the mid 1980s to 1991 they studied art together at University College, Chester, followed by Manchester University.
Work
They combine traditions from both Eastern and Western art to make provocative and sharply political work.
The sisters' work is always credited to The Singh Twins, even if the sisters have worked alone on a piece. The Singh Twins work from their studio near Liverpool, which is next to the family home they share with their extended family.
The Singh Twins' work is influenced by Indian miniature paintings, but deals with British contemporary culture, as well as topics such as globalisation and migration.
In 2002, their work was the subject of an exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, making them only the second British-born artists, after Henry Moore, to be accorded such an honour.
In 2009 their work was the subject of an exhibition, "The Singh Twins: Art in Motion" at Leamington Spa Art Gallery. The following year the National Portrait Gallery featured 27 of their works as part of an exhibition, and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens held a retrospective of the previous two decades' worth of their work.
In 2011, the sisters were conferred with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for their ‘services to the Indian miniature tradition of painting within Contemporary Art’. The sisters' other achievements and awards include the UK Asian Achievers Awards for Media, Arts and Culture, three honorary doctorates, and Honourary Citizenships of Liverpool.
In 2018 they curated the ‘Slaves of Fashion’ exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
In 2020 they were featured in Grayson's Art Club, hosted by Grayson Perry on Channel 4, and a work of theirs is in the accompanying exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery. Perry said of the twins, whose work he admires: 'They combine traditions from both Eastern and Western art to make provocative and sharply political work.'
See also
References
- "Contemporary Connections: The Singh Twins". www.npg.org.uk. National Portrait Gallery. 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Vaswani, Anjana (12 November 2022). "Singh twins exhibition | Horrifyingly beautiful". India Today. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Peter Stanford (29 March 2009). "Seeing as one: Why has the British establishment never quite accepted the Singh Twins?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Leo Mirani (18 November 2010). "Sister act: the Singh Twins". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Laurence Saunders (23 February 2018). "Interview: Renowned Wirral-raised artists The Singh Twins". Your Magazine Liverpool. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- "Studio visit: The Singh Twins". www.christies.com. Christies. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- "Meet The Artists - The Singh Twins". Manchester Museum. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- "Grayson's Art Club". manchesterartgallery.org. Manchester Art Gallery. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- "Grayson's Art Club: Series 1 Episode 6 - All 4".
External links
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