Posted on Jan. 12: Paintings by the Singh Twins on display at McMaster Museum of Art

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/PAST-MODERN.jpg” caption=”Paintings by the Singh Twins”]The award-winning paintings of Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh have been described by art critics as “some of the most optimistic images of our multicultural world.”

The London born artists and twin sisters are known for their controversial and often satirical paintings which combine elements of ancient miniature paintings of India with European techniques and contemporary subjects. The McMaster Museum of Art is the only Canadian host of Past Modern, a touring exhibition of 62 paintings by the Singh Twins.

The Singh Twins assert their right to define their own cultural and artistic individuality' in a way that is meaningful and true to who they perceive themselves to be — British Asians, Sikhs, artists and twins. In their renowned painting “Diana: The Improved Version”, Princess Diana is transformed into a hybrid of Britannia, the Madonna and Child, and the Hindu goddess Durga. A painting in their “SPOrTLIGHT” series depicts David Beckham with his wife, Posh Spice, and their son as a new royal family. Geoff Quilley, University of Leicester, explains that the Twins' work “is located in the interstices between satire and religious icon, and between east and west, and ironically criticizes all the processes of cultural stereotyping through the reduction of complex identities to emblems.”

The artists have participated in more than 20 solo shows throughout the world and are the focus of nearly 100 feature articles.

A lunchtime talk, entitled “Where Traditions Meet: Painting in Mughal India” by Alexandria Pierce, will take place Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 12:30 p.m. A public reception will be held Thursday, Jan. 15, from 7-9 p.m. An artists' talk, by Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh, will be held Friday, Jan. 16 at 12:30 p.m.

The McMaster Museum of Art is located on the campus of McMaster University at the corner of Sterling Street and University Avenue. Admission to the museum and this special presentation is pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $2. Students, seniors and members are free. Museum Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11-5; Sunday 12-5. Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 23081. Fax: 905-527-4548. E-mail: museum@mcmaster.ca or visit www.mcmaster.ca/museum

Photo caption: Mr. Singh's India, Collection of Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art. Copyright: the artists