Chila Kumari Burman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE
Born	Bootle, England
Education	Southport College of Art Leeds Polytechnic University College London

Chila Kumari Singh Burman is a British artist known for her exciting and powerful art. Her work often explores important ideas about how people are shown, especially women and different cultures. She uses many different art forms, like printmaking, drawing, painting, and even film.

Chila Burman was a key artist in the Black British Art movement of the 1980s. This was a time when artists from Black backgrounds in Britain created amazing work. She was one of the first British Asian female artists to have a special book written just about her art. This book, Chila Kumari Burman: Beyond Two Cultures, came out in 1995.

In 2018, she received a special award called an honorary doctorate. This was from the University of the Arts London for her big impact as an international artist. In 2022, she was given another important award. She became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen. This was for her great contributions to visual art.

Early Life and Education

Chila Kumari Singh Burman was born in Bootle, a town near Liverpool. Her parents were Hindu Punjabi. She studied art at several colleges. These included Southport College of Art and Leeds Polytechnic. She also went to the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London. She finished her studies there in 1982.

Her Artistic Journey

For over 40 years, Chila Burman's art has focused on important themes. These include feminism (women's rights), race, and how people are shown in art. She was a leading artist in the British Black Arts movement in the 1980s. She always understood the many different parts of culture.

Chila Burman often tries to break old ideas about women. She wants to show women as strong and independent. She often uses self-portraits, which are pictures of herself. These help her show her own power and determination.

Important Exhibitions

In the 1980s, her art was shown in many important group exhibitions. Some of these included Black Women Time Now in London in 1983. Another was The Thin Black Line at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1985. These shows helped bring attention to Black women artists.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Chila Burman's art began to explore her family's story more. She especially looked at her father's work as an ice-cream van man in Bootle. She had exhibitions like Candy-Pop & Juicy Lucy in 2006. Another was Ice Cream and Magic in Manchester in 1997. These shows were fun and personal.

Her art was also shown internationally. She was part of the Fifth Havana Biennale in 1994. Her work was also in Transforming the Crown in New York in 1997. She had a big touring show called 28 Positions in 34 Years. This show traveled to many cities, including London, Liverpool, and Glasgow.

In 2018, a special show called Tales of Valiant Queens featured her work. It was at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. This show included art from the 1970s up to 2018. It focused on themes like strong women, social action, and cultural traditions. People said the show proved how her family's experiences with race, gender, and class made her art so powerful.

Light Installations and Recent Work

In 2020, Chila Burman created a huge and popular art piece. It was for the Tate Britain Winter Commission. This amazing light installation was called Remembering A Brave New World. It covered the outside of the Tate Britain gallery. It used bright lights and images inspired by Indian stories and pop culture. The artwork also celebrated strong women and spoke about racism in the art world.

Since then, she has created more impressive light installations. These include Do you see words in rainbows for Covent Garden in London. She also made Liverpool Love of My Life for the Liverpool Town Hall. Her work has been featured in TV shows like Sky Arts' Statues Redressed. She has also done special art projects for big brands. These include Netflix's White Tiger campaign and Byredo's new perfume, Mumbai Noise.

In 2023, she was a judge for the John Moores Painting Prize. This is a very important art competition.

Writing and Publications

Besides making visual art, Chila Burman has also written a lot. Her writing focuses on women's rights, race, art, and activism. In 1987, she wrote an essay called "There have always been Great Blackwomen Artists." This essay explored the experiences of Black women artists.

Her artwork has also appeared on the covers of several books. These include novels by the famous author Meera Syal. Her art was also on the covers of academic books about Black British writing and post-colonial theory.

Her work is also featured in the 2018 exhibition book No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990.

Art Collections Worldwide

Chila Burman's art is collected by many museums and galleries around the world. In London, her work is in the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is also held by the Wellcome Trust and the Science Museum.

Outside London, her art is in the Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham. It's also in the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester. Internationally, her work is collected by the Seattle Art Museum in the USA. It is also in the Devi Foundation in New Delhi, India.

Awards and Recognition

Chila Burman has received many honors and special recognitions. In 2012, she was an artist-in-residence at ART CHENNAI in India. This means she lived and worked there as an artist. She created an exhibition called pREpellers.

From 2009 to 2010, she was an artist-in-residence at the University of East London. She also spent three years, from 2006 to 2009, as an artist-in-residence at Villiers High School in London. This allowed her to work closely with students.

Since 2004, Chila Burman has been a Trustee at Rich Mix in London. This is an arts center. In 1986, she helped create The Roundhouse Mural Project in London. In 1985, she worked with artist Keith Piper on The Southall Black Resistance Mural.

As mentioned before, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2022. This was for her services to visual art, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2023, Chila Burman was named on the BBC's list of 100 Women. This list celebrates 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.