Human Rights Art Exhibition Inspired by California Resident Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa in Fremont, California
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| Painting of Bapu Surat Singh by California based artist Priya Handa |
Bapu Surat Singh has been on a hunger strike in India since January 16, 2015, for over 450 days, calling for the release of Sikh political prisoners. He has been forcefully detained at hospitals for more than half that time, subjected to force feeding by the Indian Government and police.
The idea for an art exhibition to raise awareness for Bapu Surat Singh's hunger strike first originated in the UK. The first exhibition took place in January 2016 at Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick, West Midlands, UK. The second showing included an exhibition at Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Bristol, UK. Curator of the Bristol exhibition Dr. Manjit Kaur Dhinsa said, "This has been a grass roots campaign, and the contributions we have had from artists and poets have been humbling. We have had work from around the world, including the USA, Canada, India and Russia.
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| (Top) #Art4Justice Gurdwara Sahib Fremont Art Exhibition Event Poster and (Bottom) UK Artist Jyoti Dhanjal (right) and his painting with Bristol, UK Mayor George Ferguson (left) |
UK based artist Jyoti Dhanjal from Hertfordshire said he found out about the human rights campaign after seeing images of Bapu Surat Singh on social media, "I wanted to help his campaign using the following I have on social media. I did a painting based on one of the photos which I thought was very powerful. The strain of his hunger strike shows on his face."
The exhibition has now made its way to the U.S., with its first showing scheduled for May 7-8, 2016, 11am-6pm at Gurdwara Sahib Fremont in Fremont, California. The event is free and open to the public.
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| Bapu Surat Singh Dedication Drawing by California Artist Super Sikh Comic |
Event Details
Date: May 7-8, 2016
Time: 11am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday
Location: Gurdwara Sahib Fremont, 300 Gurdwara Rd, Fremont, CA 94536
For more information about Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa's hunger strike:
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/8875350
Multimedia Press Kit: (photos reproduced above)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w30rlmbn7k83qz5/AACZ_3r3bNyHv6UqmBZmGvo7a?dl=0
Contact information:
The Sangharsh Jaari Hai team - [email protected]
Website http://www.freesikhprisoners.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bapusuratsingh
Twitter - @bapusuratsingh
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http://www.sikhnet.com/news/bristol-hosts-bapu-surat-singh-exhibition
http://www.sikhnet.com/news/human-rights-art-exhibition-365-days-hunger-justice-art4justice