Internationally-acclaimed, London born, North West based, artists, The Singh Twins, have each received an MBE, Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the Indian Miniature Tradition of painting.
“Our work bridges many worlds, the ancient and the modern; fusing both Western and Eastern aesthetic elements … using an ancient art form to deal with contemporary issues. Our aim is to introduce wider audiences to the beauty, richness and continuing value of our heritage within contemporary art and society.”
It started ever since the twins visited India for the first time in 1980, they have been fascinated by the Indian miniature painting tradition – not least because of the exquisite detail, technical skill and breathtaking level of perfection displayed by this traditional art form. For them, it was such a highly appealing style whose rich narrative and symbolic character made it a superb medium of communication that they felt transcended cultural and historical barriers.
But they were disappointed to find that within India’s Contemporary art scene the miniature genre seemed to have been largely neglected in favor of Western role models by Indian artists and institutions eager to be accepted by the world of Modern Art. Indian miniature paintings were viewed as historic, outdated, and traditional. Consequently the tradition has only really survived in the form of mass produced, and often badly executed, copies of conventional scenes churned out for the tourist souvenir market.Bindhu's Wedding - Written & illustrated by Amrit & Rabindra K. Singh
The book Bindhu’s Weddings
is available for sale
on the Sikh Foundation’s website.
Initially, they wanted to revive not only India’s interest in this rejected and undervalued tradition but also bring this rich heritage to the attention of the wider global audience as a way of challenging what they saw as a generally prevailing “West is Best” attitude. And so they began to teach themselves the techniques and style of the miniature by studying reproductions in books and original examples in museums in the UK.
Later, however, their determination to explore and develop the miniature became even stronger due to the institutionalized prejudice they faced whilst studying for their BA (Hons.) degree in art. They were heavily criticized for drawing inspiration from an art form that was both traditional and rooted in Eastern aesthetics. In addition, the work they produced individually was also seen as ‘unacceptable’ because of the similarity of their styles – something which had naturally developed as a result of their inspiration coming from a common source as well as their pursuit of common interests and goals. In fact, it seemed that their work represented all the taboos of Contemporary Western art in that it was decorative, figurative, narrative, small scale, non-individualistic and coming from a non-European tradition!
Whilst asserting the right to define their own cultural and artistic ‘individuality’ in a way that is meaningful and true to who they are as British Asians, artists and twins; their work re-dresses the need to re-evaluate established cultural definitions, values and role models within the wider context of an evolving global society dominated by western consumer markets and popular culture. This is because, ultimately, their artistic strategy is defined by a sense of responsibility to look beyond personal issues of identity towards exposing wider cultural prejudices and highlighting other concerns of more global significance.
The desire to make a real difference through their work has fuelled their determination in establishing an international profile that demands acceptance on their own terms – creating a recognized platform for serious debate which has a meaningful impact in challenging pervading social, political and cultural attitudes.
The Singh Twins’ art is a public declaration of their beliefs. Their work is a kaleidoscope of culture and tradition, political statement and changing times. It is a candid snapshot of the materialism of this age. It is a tribute to the past yet a celebration of a new reality.
From the http://www.singhtwins.co.uk/ site.