Kiranjot Kaur

She began as an anonymous identity
Then she lived through the next one, bold and fierce
Then she tried another, and another and once
She became herself as her mother and another time as 
Her mother’s mother
And she continued trying and becoming 
And toying and thinking
And feeling and being and fluidly interchanging 
And flowing and enjoying and inhaling and exhaling 
And colouring and painting and dyeing
And loving
And there it was 
She saw Herself
Her many lives in One time 
In One instance
And her skin, it glowed 
And her hair, it flowed
And her eyes, they danced 
And her heart, it sang
She birthed, and she was born

It seems like I have painted her over and over again. Her daughter and granddaughters, her actresses, her life, and her. I feel like her impression. She IS my mother, my mother’s mother, and her mother too. And so am I.
…………………………………………………….

This series of paintings, which is currently an ongoing project, began as one anonymous identity, celebrating the richness of melanin and attempting to stretch ideas of standardized beauty. By embracing discomfort with abnormalities and representing new beauty, there arose the question of which other discomforts we have with other, more real “abnormalities” and how we define what is beautiful.

This series of paintings was not pre-planned but, rather, the completion of each piece necessitated the production of the next one, with its colour, form, and composition all imagined and formed as each piece was finished. By using small strokes of multiple colours, the faces were formed as a two-dimensional sculpture, with their true identities unknown until they were uncovered. The balance between the colours was achieved through unique harmony and aimed to capture an unknown and new beauty. As an artist, this series feels personal and devotional and it is so far incomplete. The intent of the series is to offer a resonating and connective representation of a melanin-rich woman, as imagined and developed through my personal lens and hand.

Artist Biography:

Kiranjot Kaur is a Vancouver-based artist who, among many artistic adventures, enjoys painting vibrant, exploratory pieces and drawing high-contrast and bold ink designs. Kiranjot is a self-taught artist who explores a multitude of techniques to serve inspiration and provide truthful, artful renderings to ideas, emotions and statements.

Art, for Kiranjot, is an opportunity to explore the world. She is intrigued by nature and its ability to capture an audience in an instant and stand testament to forces beyond our imagination. She is also fascinated by the beauty of common things and playful interactions of light and colour in abstract forms. Her work focuses on that which makes her smile, think, and remember.

Her current work aims to celebrate her artistic influences including a background in engineering, Sikh philosophy, her Panjabi and Canadian heritage and growing up in a family fabric store. Kiranjot’s work has been featured in several local art shows and she is the creator of Little Sahibs, a series of colouring and activity books for children. Her debut authored and illustrated children’s picture book, Sangeet and the Missing Beat, is set for release in Spring 2022 by Rebel Mountain Press. 

Find Kiranjot online:

Website: https://kiranjotart.com/
Instagram: @kiranjotart