Saranjit Birdi
With foundations in architecture, dance and music, I have developed a combined-arts practice where mediums and out comes include:
- Drawing and Painting (figurative and abstract)
- Performance Art, Poetry, Dance
- Photography, Digital collage and animation
- Public Art, Events and Sculpture
- Arts in Health
I have four major combined-arts projects which include:
- ‘Father’s Lines' running currently 2025-current
- Secret Life of Plants and Poiesis 2023-24
- 'Bombed' series 2011-2022
- Mapping Bones 2017-19
I am currently working on combined arts project ‘Father’s Lines' - exploring and interpreting the Punjabi short stories of acclaimed, yet lesser known author the late Surjit Virdi (also Birdi), my father. The stories are interpreted in dance performance, bilingual print and sound installations and poetry.
‘Secret Life of Plants’ and ‘Seed Lights’ - Paintings and sculpture - Visiting Historic Winterbourne House and Garden in Birmingham over two decades I became fascinated by the dynamic forms of flora, their geometry and colour. This interest, fuelled by a 1979 soundtrack by Stevie Wonder ‘The Secret Life of Plants’ developed into a series of paintings on the same name and exhibited at Winterbourne House (2023) with a Light and Sound event ‘Seed Lights’ (2024) combining architectural scale light projection, animation, live music and poetry.
‘Mapping Bones’ - Contemporary drawing and performance art
Drawing is a special focus of my practice. In 1996, I discovered an ability to draw accurately, ambidextrously, with various parts of my body. This led to my interest in human locomotion and anthropology and developed into a drawing performance series ‘Mapping Bones’ and ‘Thisability’ (2008 to current). Reading Museum and University of Reading acquired two drawings in 2022 under the ‘Drawing Diversity’ residency.
‘ Bombed’ - War and Conflict, action-painting, drawing and performance art
I am interested in themes of war, conflict, identity and territoriality being of Indian, Sikh heritage with British nationality and living in a diverse community. This has developed over twelve years (2011-2023) into a performance-painting series ‘Bombed’, now an international project with performance in Dresden, Germany. My creative process often involves public participation unlocking local histories, and collaborations with professional and non-professional artists.
My inspiration is my late father Surjit Singh Birdi, an acclaimed Punjabi author and poet, a painting enthusiast and consummate artist. I am currently working on a decolonising project translating and interpreting his short stories through visual art works. I use my own poetry in combination with other art forms.
Born in India 1960, I am now based in Birmingham, UK. I have works in private and public collections, and several public art sculptures. I am an Associate member of the RBSA gallery in Birmingham.
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