GURKANWAR SINGH

My works focus on family and culture. Primarily these are depictions of female Indian women most of whom are family members. Growing up in a household consisting mostly of women gave me a different perspective on life. Being an Indian immigrant and coming to the United States as a young boy, I had a massive change in both culture and language. Because most of my family consists of women and also being Punjabi and Indian has had a major influence on my work. This is because the various aspects of my culture are reflected in my work. Because I grew up in India and had to come to the United States, mixing in with the culture took a long time. Even though it took a long time I still felt happy because I still had my family. In Indian culture there are many festivals including Diwali, Rakhi, Visakhi, Lohri, and also Indian weddings. As a child who loved drawing and painting, the colors and various events and dancing styles fascinated me. This culture is reflected in Bollywood movies. Being an Indian child there was also a fascination with Bollywood. The various stories, places, and songs in those movies were similar to seeing numerous paintings at once. The movies depicted women in many different ways, they were mothers, grandmothers, and sisters. Bollywood emphasized the importance of women in India. This is what I try to do in my work, I try to give the viewer a glimpse into my world. I try to show the importance that my family and relatives have to me. I try to show my culture including its colors, patterns, and festivals. Overall, the recurring motifs that I use in my work are the veil, the veil has a major significance in my work because it serves as a religious symbol. Both men and women have to cover their head while at a temple. The veils that women wear in my culture are often bright and vibrant and often patterned. Other motifs are jewelry because it is often worn mostly during weddings and other events. With my work I try to show the viewer the importance of family and its impact on me.