has moved her bedroom into Surrey Art Gallery.
Well, not exactly her bedroom, but the artist香蕉视频直播檚 re-imagination of her teen-years space in Kelowna, where the now-Vancouver-based Johal grew up subconsciously searching for more feminist South Asian role models.
This fall, the gallery香蕉视频直播檚 main space features what Johal calls a 香蕉视频直播渓oose re-creation香蕉视频直播� of her old bedroom in the exhibit 香蕉视频直播淲hat If?香蕉视频直播� her first in Surrey.
香蕉视频直播淲hat if her formative influences had been daring, defiant South Asian women?香蕉视频直播� an event advisory asks. 香蕉视频直播淲hy were such figures unseen and unheard of in both private and public spheres? Johal revisits, re-imagines, and reclaims her past by sharing these women香蕉视频直播檚 stories through art.香蕉视频直播�
Artist Sandeep Johal香蕉视频直播檚 teen bedroom re-imagined with South Asian role models at Surrey Art Gallery.
香蕉视频直播� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
She revisits "what my life could have been like had I known about these women," growing up in Kelowna.
STORY:
Through textiles, paintings, drawings and animation, 香蕉视频直播淛ohal layers her personal history with those of South Asian women she wished she knew about as a first-generation South Asian youth 香蕉视频直播� role models, pioneers, trailblazers, vigilantes and rebels,香蕉视频直播� all previously featured in Johal香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淗ard Kaur香蕉视频直播� series of portraits (香蕉视频直播淜aur香蕉视频直播� is a typical middle name assigned to Sikh females at birth, meaning 香蕉视频直播渓ioness香蕉视频直播�).
香蕉视频直播淎ll of those women are in the wallpaper behind the bed, but then they香蕉视频直播檙e also embodied in different objects and things in this bedroom,香蕉视频直播� Johal told Black Press Media.
香蕉视频直播淚 was growing up with, you know, 香蕉视频直播�90210,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播楳y So-Called Life,香蕉视频直播� listening to Madonna and Gwen Stefani, and there was no representation of my culture. So here, I香蕉视频直播檓 going back to my teen bedroom and I香蕉视频直播檓 revisiting and re-imagining what my life could have been like had I known about these women, and how that could have impacted me in different ways as I grew into an adult.香蕉视频直播�
(Story continues below photo)
PICTURED: Artist Sandeep Johal in her 香蕉视频直播渂edroom香蕉视频直播� at Surrey Art Gallery, in a new exhibit of her works. (Photo: Tom Zillich)
The subject is explored at the gallery during , starting at 2 p.m., amplifying an exhibit on view until mid-December.
香蕉视频直播淭his bedroom is very true to who I was as a teen,香蕉视频直播� she revealed. 香蕉视频直播淚 haven香蕉视频直播檛 put anything in here that I didn香蕉视频直播檛 utilize or enjoy as a teen. And so, on the bulletin board there, those are fake show posters I香蕉视频直播檝e made of South Asian female bands, because there was none of that growing up either. It was Red Hot Chill Peppers and Nirvana and Alanis Morissette, you know, so that香蕉视频直播檚 just a re-imagination. Those are real venues in Kelowna, and the dates are all significant to me, done in the spirit of DIY posters.香蕉视频直播�
A 香蕉视频直播淗ard Kaur香蕉视频直播� jean jacket represents Johal香蕉视频直播檚 teen passion for clothing modification and the equally prominent 香蕉视频直播淪pice香蕉视频直播� tapestry riffs on a 香蕉视频直播済irl power香蕉视频直播� British pop group of the late-1990s.
香蕉视频直播淲hen the Spice Girls came out, I was in my early 20s, I think, and I thought, 香蕉视频直播榃ow, this is so amazing, these women are so cool and so empowered,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 Johal recalled. 香蕉视频直播淎nd as adult you realize it was all fake empowerment, fake feminism and a completely manufactured band. So I looked at this as, 香蕉视频直播榃ell, who would my Spice Girls be?香蕉视频直播� I chose five of the women from the series to be, you know, my version of the Spice Girls.香蕉视频直播�
They are 香蕉视频直播淏andit Queen香蕉视频直播� Phoolan Devi, suffragette Sophia Duleep Singh, rebel Laxmi Bai, vigilante group founder Gulabi Gang and labour-protest leader Jayaben Desai.
香蕉视频直播淢y real question with all of this is, how do women endure such oppressive conditions and have the resilience and perseverance to just keep going?香蕉视频直播� Johal said. 香蕉视频直播淵ou know, how are some people so resilient while others are not, and what creates that resilience? All of these women have that resilience, which I think is incredible. It香蕉视频直播檚 having those role models that show you anything is possible. It may not be easy, but it香蕉视频直播檚 possible.香蕉视频直播�
A 香蕉视频直播渢omboy香蕉视频直播� growing up, Johal didn香蕉视频直播檛 wear much makeup and was known as 香蕉视频直播淗oops,香蕉视频直播� for her love of basketball.
香蕉视频直播淭hese are real photos, but photocopies of them,香蕉视频直播� she said of images affixed to a vanity mirror. 香蕉视频直播淭his is a photo of me from the 香蕉视频直播�90s but I cut out my friend and put another woman from 香蕉视频直播楬ard Kaur,香蕉视频直播� Roshni Sharma, who was the first woman to ride a motorbike solo from the top of India to the bottom. People might not think that香蕉视频直播檚 a big deal, but she was a lone woman doing that, and it香蕉视频直播檚 quite an accomplishment in terms of safety alone. So that picture is of her and I palling around. I didn香蕉视频直播檛 really have many brown friends growing up in a town that wasn香蕉视频直播檛 very diverse.香蕉视频直播�
Scattered on the bed are teen-girl magazines with cover models now adorned with mehndi.
香蕉视频直播淭hese are thin, white blonde women who totally appropriated Indian culture all the time, but I thought they were so cool,香蕉视频直播� Johal emphasized. 香蕉视频直播淎s a teen I didn香蕉视频直播檛 see myself represented in any of this pop culture. So I kind of Indian-ified the magazine covers in this way, kind of daydreaming of a time when someone like me could be on a cover like that.香蕉视频直播�
(Story continues below photo)
PICTURED: Artist Sandeep Johal香蕉视频直播檚 depiction of murdered Surrey resident Maple Batalia. (Photo: Tom Zillich)
Also featured in the gallery are Johal香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淩est in Power香蕉视频直播� series of drawings of 12 murdered women and 香蕉视频直播淔or Jyoti,香蕉视频直播� an animated film about the 2012 murder of Delhi student Jyoti Singh.
香蕉视频直播� RELATED STORY, from 2016:
香蕉视频直播淪urrey has a South Asian diaspora community,香蕉视频直播� noted Suvi Bains, Surrey Art Gallery香蕉视频直播檚 assistant curator. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 important to see our community represented through art exhibits that address difficult subjects and uplift resilient women.香蕉视频直播�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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