Colonial kaleidoscope / convergence
SUBZEROchildren of colonialism / discovering patterns / ideas / converging into a contemporary / here / the now / discovering / symmetry / rangoli / Islamic geometry / huichol sun / non-western civilization / semblance of heritages / discovering rich / deep / steep / non-symmetry / discovering / independent / proud / questioning the zeitgeist / how is it mine / why is it mine / discovering the kaleidoscope / withered deities / tethered gods / discovering / lustre / colour / massacre / discovering / paradigm/ convert / a party in swing / discovering / did anyone hear my din…
Dr. Chila Kumari Burman is an iconic British artist. A significant figure in the Black British Art movement of the 1980s, Burman was one of the first British Asian female artists to have a monograph written about her work: Lynda Nead’s Chila Kumari Burman: Beyond Two Cultures (1995), and a second monograph by Nead was published in 2012.
Brought up in Liverpool and educated at the Slade School of Art in London, Chila Kumari Burman has worked experimentally across printmaking, painting, sculpture, photography and film since the mid-1980s. She draws on fine and pop art imagery in intricate multi-layered works which explore Asian femininity and her personal family history, and where Bollywood bling merges with childhood memories.
In 2018, Burman received an honorary doctorate from University of the Arts London for her impact and recognised legacy as a British and International artist. In 2020, Burman was selected into the Art Workers Guild as a Brother.
“Many different thoughts flow into my works: my feelings – political, spiritual, philosophical; women’s issues, sexism, racism and the media’s con. None of these are developed exclusively. They all interact and change. My work doesn’t encompass any rules or regulations. It’s about freedom”