has moved her bedroom into Surrey Art Gallery.
Well, not exactly her bedroom, but the artist91裸聊视频檚 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 gallery91裸聊视频檚 main space features what Johal calls a 91裸聊视频渓oose re-creation91裸聊视频� of her old bedroom in the exhibit 91裸聊视频淲hat If?91裸聊视频� her first in Surrey.
91裸聊视频淲hat if her formative influences had been daring, defiant South Asian women?91裸聊视频� an event advisory asks. 91裸聊视频淲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 women91裸聊视频檚 stories through art.91裸聊视频�
Artist Sandeep Johal91裸聊视频檚 teen bedroom re-imagined with South Asian role models at Surrey Art Gallery.
91裸聊视频� 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, 91裸聊视频淛ohal layers her personal history with those of South Asian women she wished she knew about as a first-generation South Asian youth 91裸聊视频� role models, pioneers, trailblazers, vigilantes and rebels,91裸聊视频� all previously featured in Johal91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淗ard Kaur91裸聊视频� series of portraits (91裸聊视频淜aur91裸聊视频� is a typical middle name assigned to Sikh females at birth, meaning 91裸聊视频渓ioness91裸聊视频�).
91裸聊视频淎ll of those women are in the wallpaper behind the bed, but then they91裸聊视频檙e also embodied in different objects and things in this bedroom,91裸聊视频� Johal told Black Press Media.
91裸聊视频淚 was growing up with, you know, 91裸聊视频�90210,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频楳y So-Called Life,91裸聊视频� listening to Madonna and Gwen Stefani, and there was no representation of my culture. So here, I91裸聊视频檓 going back to my teen bedroom and I91裸聊视频檓 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.91裸聊视频�
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PICTURED: Artist Sandeep Johal in her 91裸聊视频渂edroom91裸聊视频� 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.
91裸聊视频淭his bedroom is very true to who I was as a teen,91裸聊视频� she revealed. 91裸聊视频淚 haven91裸聊视频檛 put anything in here that I didn91裸聊视频檛 utilize or enjoy as a teen. And so, on the bulletin board there, those are fake show posters I91裸聊视频檝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 that91裸聊视频檚 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.91裸聊视频�
A 91裸聊视频淗ard Kaur91裸聊视频� jean jacket represents Johal91裸聊视频檚 teen passion for clothing modification and the equally prominent 91裸聊视频淪pice91裸聊视频� tapestry riffs on a 91裸聊视频済irl power91裸聊视频� British pop group of the late-1990s.
91裸聊视频淲hen the Spice Girls came out, I was in my early 20s, I think, and I thought, 91裸聊视频榃ow, this is so amazing, these women are so cool and so empowered,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Johal recalled. 91裸聊视频淎nd as adult you realize it was all fake empowerment, fake feminism and a completely manufactured band. So I looked at this as, 91裸聊视频榃ell, who would my Spice Girls be?91裸聊视频� I chose five of the women from the series to be, you know, my version of the Spice Girls.91裸聊视频�
They are 91裸聊视频淏andit Queen91裸聊视频� Phoolan Devi, suffragette Sophia Duleep Singh, rebel Laxmi Bai, vigilante group founder Gulabi Gang and labour-protest leader Jayaben Desai.
91裸聊视频淢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?91裸聊视频� Johal said. 91裸聊视频淵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. It91裸聊视频檚 having those role models that show you anything is possible. It may not be easy, but it91裸聊视频檚 possible.91裸聊视频�
A 91裸聊视频渢omboy91裸聊视频� growing up, Johal didn91裸聊视频檛 wear much makeup and was known as 91裸聊视频淗oops,91裸聊视频� for her love of basketball.
91裸聊视频淭hese are real photos, but photocopies of them,91裸聊视频� she said of images affixed to a vanity mirror. 91裸聊视频淭his is a photo of me from the 91裸聊视频�90s but I cut out my friend and put another woman from 91裸聊视频楬ard Kaur,91裸聊视频� Roshni Sharma, who was the first woman to ride a motorbike solo from the top of India to the bottom. People might not think that91裸聊视频檚 a big deal, but she was a lone woman doing that, and it91裸聊视频檚 quite an accomplishment in terms of safety alone. So that picture is of her and I palling around. I didn91裸聊视频檛 really have many brown friends growing up in a town that wasn91裸聊视频檛 very diverse.91裸聊视频�
Scattered on the bed are teen-girl magazines with cover models now adorned with mehndi.
91裸聊视频淭hese are thin, white blonde women who totally appropriated Indian culture all the time, but I thought they were so cool,91裸聊视频� Johal emphasized. 91裸聊视频淎s a teen I didn91裸聊视频檛 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.91裸聊视频�
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PICTURED: Artist Sandeep Johal91裸聊视频檚 depiction of murdered Surrey resident Maple Batalia. (Photo: Tom Zillich)
Also featured in the gallery are Johal91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淩est in Power91裸聊视频� series of drawings of 12 murdered women and 91裸聊视频淔or Jyoti,91裸聊视频� an animated film about the 2012 murder of Delhi student Jyoti Singh.
91裸聊视频� RELATED STORY, from 2016:
91裸聊视频淪urrey has a South Asian diaspora community,91裸聊视频� noted Suvi Bains, Surrey Art Gallery91裸聊视频檚 assistant curator. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 important to see our community represented through art exhibits that address difficult subjects and uplift resilient women.91裸聊视频�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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