Sarindar Dhaliwal facts for kids

Sarindar Dhaliwal, born in 1953, is an artist who creates art using many different types of media. She was born in India, grew up in England, and now lives in Toronto, Canada.

About Sarindar Dhaliwal

Dhaliwal was born in Punjab, India. When she was four, her family moved to England. She grew up in Southall, London. At fifteen, her family moved again, this time to Canada. They settled on a farm near Brampton, Ontario.

It was hard for her to get used to small-town life. She saved money to go back to London for a year. She studied Fine Art at Falmouth University, England, graduating in 1978. Then she moved back to Canada. She earned a Master's degree from York University, Toronto, in 2003. Later, she got her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Sarindar Dhaliwal's Artworks

Dhaliwal's art often tells stories. She explores ideas about cultural identity. Her work includes installations, printmaking, collage, painting, and video. Much of her art looks at memories, especially from her childhood.

Dhaliwal's art shares her life story as someone who has lived in different countries. She cleverly explores how memory connects to places. She also looks at how language and color, sports and traditions, and family and society are linked. Her art also touches on the history of colonialism and migration, focusing on racism, conflict, and identity. Because of this, Dhaliwal's art feels both personal and universal. It is hard to put her work into just one category.

The Meaning of Color in Dhaliwal's Art

Dhaliwal's love for color started when she was a child. She enjoyed reading fairy tales in colorful books from the library. Her artwork the green fairy story book (2010) shows this love. Another piece, Southall:Childplay (2009), covers a whole wall with her own collection of colored pencils. She used these pencils to play when she was young.

In When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colors (2010), Dhaliwal gives fun names to colors. Some examples are "crushed raspberry," "Indian summer," and "burnt persimmon." Her love for color is also clear in 28 ambassador cars (2010). This piece shows cars in bright, glowing colors driving around an island of text.

Dhaliwal's own experiences with racism made her appreciate color even more. For her, all colors are equal. In Corner Flags and Corner Shops (2013), she shows a racist event on a soccer field. She paints many colorful butterflies on white paper. This shows that colors are natural, and racism is not a part of nature.

Memories and Migration in Her Art

Dhaliwal's video olive, almond and mustard (2010) shares a childhood memory. It shows her growing up in Britain. Her mother would wash her long black hair with white yogurt, then oil and braid it. This artwork moves between India and Britain. It includes nursery rhymes, Bollywood film music, English pop songs, and BBC Radio news. These sounds describe her childhood as an immigrant in Great Britain.

The cartographer's mistake: the Radcliffe Line (2012) shows the division of India in 1947. This event is shown using marigold flowers. Marigolds usually mean welcome. But in this art, they make the country look like it's on fire. In 1947, a man named Cyril Radcliffe divided the Indian subcontinent into two countries, India and Pakistan. He did this based on religion. Even today, people still talk about how difficult this division was.

Exhibitions and Shows

Sarindar Dhaliwal's art has been shown across Canada since the 1980s. She has exhibited her work in many big Canadian art galleries. These include The Edmonton Art Gallery and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Ontario. Her work is also part of the Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art.

In 2004, an exhibition of her work called 'Record Keeping' toured Britain. It was shown at the John Hansard Gallery, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, and Canada House Gallery. Her art is also in collections like the Canada Council Art Bank and the Walter Phillips Gallery.

Recent Solo Exhibitions

Dhaliwal's most recent solo shows were in 2013. These were at A Space Gallery in Toronto and the Surrey Art Gallery in British Columbia. She also had shows at Gallerie Deste in Montreal (2010) and the Robert Langen Art Gallery in Waterloo (2012).

In 2011, she took part in exhibitions in Stony Plain, Alberta, and at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. She also showed her work at The Reach in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and the Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi, India. In 2012, Sarindar Dhaliwal received the Canada Council International Residency at Artspace, Sydney, Australia.

In November 2016, Dhaliwal's work was part of the Koffler Art Gallery's exhibit called Yonder. This show featured art about the experience of immigrants in Canada. In 2023, Dhaliwal had a big solo show called When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

List of Solo Exhibitions

• 1983 – Images de St. Pierre et Michelon, Le Centre Français, Kingston, Ontario
• 1984 – Des fruits et des triangles, Le Chambre Blance, Quebec City, Quebec
• 1985 – Recent Works, Kingston Public Library, Kingston, Ontario
• 1987 – St. Lawrence College Gallery, Kingston, Ontario
• 1989 – Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
• 1989 – Art Noise, Kingston, Ontario
• 2004–2005 – Record Keeping, toured to John Hansard Gallery, Southampton UK, Oriel Mostyn Gallery (now MOSTYN), Llandudno Wales, Canada House Gallery, London, UK, and Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario
• 2012 – the Cartographer's mistake: Hockey Fields and Marigold Maps, Robert Langen Art Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
• 2013 – the cartographer's mistake: Southall and other places, A Space Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
• 2013 – Sarindar Dhaliwal: Narratives from the Beyond, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, British Columbia
• 2015–2016 - The Radcliffe Line and Other Geographies, toured to The Reach Gallery Museum, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
• 2023 – When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto ON

List of Selected Group Exhibitions

• 1985 – Artforms, Kitchener-Waterloo Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
• 1985 – Rodnam Hall Arts Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario
• 1985 – A Change in the Weather, K.A.A.I. Gallery, Kingston, Ontario (two-person show)
• 2011–2012 – Collected Resonance: Shelly Bhal, Sarindar Dhaliwal, Farheen HaQ, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
• 2015 – Traversive Territories: Sarindar Dhaliwal, Soheila Esfahani, Colette Urban, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, Ontario
• 2016 – Yonder, Koffler Gallery, Toronto
• 2018 – India Contemporary Photographic and New Media Art, FotoFest 2018 Biennial (Asia Society Texas Center, Houston, Texas)
• 2018–2019 – Vision Exchange: Perspectives from India to Canada, toured to the Art Museum at the University of Toronto and the Winnipeg Art Gallery

Awards and Recognition

Sarindar Dhaliwal has received several awards for her artistic work:

• 1983 – Aprons (installation), MacDonald Park, Kingston, Ontario
• 1983 – Ministry of Culture Artist in the Community Award
• 1982, 1984 – Ontario Arts Council, Artist in the Schools Programme
• 1983–1986 – Ontario Arts Council, Materials Assistance Grant
• 1987 – Canada Council, Explorations Grant