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Anjum Singh
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"I begin my work by thinking in colour and then sort of evolving from there. I layer a lot. It’s a whole journey." - ANJUM SINGH
Anjum Singh inherited painting from both her parents - artists Arpita and Paramjit Singh - and pursued it like a vocation. "When I started out as a student at Santiniketan, I was heavily influenced by Amrita Sher-Gil. I was, therefore, drawn towards a lot of figurative motifs. My sheer feel for colour and...
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"I begin my work by thinking in colour and then sort of evolving from there. I layer a lot. It’s a whole journey." - ANJUM SINGH
Anjum Singh inherited painting from both her parents - artists Arpita and Paramjit Singh - and pursued it like a vocation. "When I started out as a student at Santiniketan, I was heavily influenced by Amrita Sher-Gil. I was, therefore, drawn towards a lot of figurative motifs. My sheer feel for colour and texture has led me to explore forms that don’t tell a story, but exist for the sake of existence. I am not certain about the future of the figurative element in my work, but I do know that I wish to paint the simplicity of space, with or without form."
Her initial training at Santiniketan ensured that she was formally well-equipped to paint. This foundation was further solidified at the College of Art in New Delhi, where she completed her Master’s degree in Fine Arts in 1991. Singh then went on to study painting and printmaking at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington DC from 1992 - 94. It was here that she became more open to experimentation and developed her own signature style.
Upon returning to India, Singh simplified the texture she had used in her works, transitioning to flat structures. In her work, it is the surface, the texture and the application of paint that are emphasised. The artist has also said that her style had been influenced by her mother’s, from whom she had imbibed ideas of form and structure.
Anjum Singh’s paintings are a manifestation of her fascination with bright colours such as red, orange, yellow and pink, which dominate her canvases, with an occasional stroke of gold or brown. So abiding was her fascination for colours that her palette was the first thing she decided on. She usually restricted herself to pure colours, and found that adding black or white detracted from the composition of the work. She stressed that, "It is very important to know your limitations. My problem is with colour. I am very comfortable using red and I know if something is not working, I can use red to make it work. I consciously restrict my palette sometimes, because that sense of adventure tends to fade away if you are overconfident."
Singh was a disciplined painter who painted every day until she decided that the work had acquired a finality. Not bound by any one interpretation, her forms and figures are diffused and can be seen at various levels. In several of her paintings, she used a brush along with a knife to create a layered effect for the desired texture.
Anjum Singh passed away on 17 November 2020 in New Delhi.
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Born
1967
New Delhi
Died
2020
New Delhi
Education
1992-94 Studied Painting and Printmaking, The Corcoran School of Art, Washington DC
1989-91 Masters of Fine Art (Painting), College of Art, New Delhi
1984-89 Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting), Kala Bhawan, Santiniketan
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 I am still here, Talwar Gallery,...
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 I am still here, Talwar Gallery, New Delhi
2015 'Masquerade', Talwar Art Gallery, New York
2010-11 'The Skin Remembers', The Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi
2009 'All That Glitters Is Litter', Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
2007 ‘Urban Sprawl’, Bodhi Art, Singapore
2006 'City in Progress', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2005 ‘Spill’, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi
2002 Art Inc, New Delhi
2002 Talwar Gallery, New York
2001 Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore
1999 Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1997 Renaissance Gallery, Bangalore
1996 Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
1993 Foundry Gallery, Washington D.C
Selected Group Exhibitions
2012 '2 + 2 = 5', The Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi
2011 'Fabular Bodies: New Narratives in the Art of the Miniature',
presented by Harmony Art Foundation at Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharah Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai
2011 'Concepts & Ideas 2011', Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata
2010 'NINE: Her Magic Square', The Viewing Room, Mumbai
2010 'A. SYCO', The Viewing Room, Mumbai
2010 'Nature Revisited', Aakriti Gallery, Kolkata
2010 'Beyond Object hood', presented by Gandhara Art Gallery at Nandalal Bose Hall, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Kolkata
2008 ‘Freedom 2008: Sixty Years after Indian Independence’, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata
2007 'Here and Now: Young Voices from India', Grosvenor Vadehra, London
2005 ‘Are We Like This Only’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
2005 'SPAN', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2005 'Paths of Progression', Bodhi Art and Saffronart, New Delhi
2005 'Towards Abstraction', Bodhi Art, New Delhi
2004 ‘Anticipations’, Fine Art Resource, Mumbai
2004 ‘Red’, Palette Gallery, New Delhi
2003 ‘20x20’, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
2003 ‘Urban Graffiti’, Woolf Gallery, London
2002 ‘Transfigurations’, Art Inc., New Delhi
2002 ‘Creative Space’, Conducted by Sakshi Gallery, Habitat Center, New Delhi
2002 ‘New Paradigms’, Conducted by Gallery Threshold, Habitat Center, New Delhi
2001 Khoj International Artists Workshop, Modi Nagar, New Delhi
2001 ‘New Works’, Gallerie88, Kolkata and Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore
2001 ‘A Global View - Indian Artists at Home and the World’, Conducted by The Fine Art Resource at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
2000 Khoj International Artists Workshop, Modi Nagar, New Delhi
2000 ’Embarkations’, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
2000 ‘Anonymously Yours’, Lakeeren Gallery, Mumbai
1999 ‘Edge of The Century’, New Delhi
1998 ‘The Search Within’, Pernegg and Salzburg ,Austria, New Delhi, Mumbai
1998 ‘New Perceptions’, Images and Media, Conducted by CIMA Gallery (Kolkata), New Delhi
1998 ‘Six Artists’, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
1998 ‘The Next Wave’, Festival of young artists, Melbourne
1997 ‘Gift for India’, SAHMAT, New Delhi
1997 ‘Colors of Independence’, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
1997 Ragamala Festival. Chandigarh
1995 ‘Recent Trends in Contemporary Indian Art’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
1994 ‘Betrayal / Empowerment’, Asian American Art Centre, New York
1992 ‘Imprints of our Time’, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and Gallery Espace, New Delhi
Joint Exhibitions
2007 ‘Constructing / Deconstructing of My City’, with Sheila Makhijani, Gallery Maya, London
Participations
2013-14 'Transition', 20th Anniversary Show, Centre of International Modern Art(CIMA), Kolkata
2011 'Red', Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi
2011 'Miniscule Marvel', presented by Contemplate at Gallery BMB, Mumbai
2011 'Roots in the Air, Branches Below: Modern & Contemporary Art from India', San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose
2010 'Roots', 25th Anniversary Exhibition of Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai at The Park, Chennai
2008 Art HK, HongKong International Art Fair
1998 ‘ 7th International Cairo Biennale’, Cairo
1996 ‘6th Bharat Bhawan Biennale’, Bhopal
1991 6th Yuva Mahotsava, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi
Honours and Awards
2002-03 Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship for a residency at Gasworks Studios, London
1996 Honorable Mention, 6th Bharat Bhavan Biennale, Bhopal
1991 6th Yuva Mahotsava, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi
2002-03 Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship for a residency at Gasworks Studios, London
1996 Honorable Mention, 6th Bharat Bhavan Biennale, Bhopal
1991 6th Yuva Mahotsava, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi
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