Sarindar Dhaliwal. The cartographer’s mistake: the Radcliffe Line. Chromira print, 107 x 107 cm.

Sarindar Dhaliwal. The cartographer’s mistake: the Radcliffe Line, 2012. Chromira print, 107 x 107 cm. Collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase, with funds by exchange from the J.S. McLean Collection, by Canada Packers Inc., 2020. © Sarindar Dhaliwal

Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours

Extended until July 14, 2024

Located on Level 1 in Gallery 131 and 132.

Member or Annual Pass Holder

New Visitor

Admission is always FREE for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass Holders & Indigenous Peoples. Learn more.

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours exhibits more than 40 years of artmaking by the South Asian Canadian artist. Characterized by intense colour and compelling imagery, Dhaliwal’s art investigates memory, identity and migration. In this, her first AGO solo exhibition, the artist’s significant contribution to Canadian art will be illustrated by a selection of key works, including meticulously rendered drawings and mixed media works from the 1980s to the 2000s, alongside large-scale installations and recent photography. Curated by Renée van der Avoird, Associate Curator, Canadian Art, this exhibition highlights two recent acquisitions: Hey Hey Paula (1998) and the cartographer’s mistake: the Radcliffe Line (2012).

Please note the ceramic letters in the cartographer’s mistake: Medicine Hat’s Reprieve (version 2) are affixed with magnets. Please be advised that magnetic fields may affect the operation of certain pacemakers and some electronic devices.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Sarindar Dhaliwal was born in Punjab, India and moved with her family to England at the age of four where she grew up in Southall, London. At age fifteen, she migrated again with her family to Canada. She received a BA in Fine Art at Falmouth University, Cornwall in England (1978), then moved back to Canada where she still lives. She gained a MA from York University in 2003 and a PhD in Fine Arts from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Dhaliwal has exhibited across Canada at institutions including the Art Gallery of Alberta; the Koffler Centre of the Arts, Toronto; the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston; and A Space Gallery, Toronto. An exhibition of her work, Record Keeping, toured England in 2004. Her work is in collections including the Walter Philips Gallery, Canada Council Art Bank, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Dhaliwal was the 2012 recipient of the Canada Council International Residency at Artspace, Sydney, Australia.

ARTWORKS FROM THE EXHIBITION

Sarindar Dhaliwal, Southall: Childplay (detail). Digital chromira print of red and pink coloured pencils lined up.

Sarindar Dhaliwal, Southall: Childplay (detail), 2009. Digital chromira print, 86 x 1046 cm. Courtesy of the artist. © Sarindar Dhaliwal.

Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up - artworks slideshow

Sarindar Dhaliwal, At Badminton, Mixed media on paper.

Sarindar Dhaliwal, At Badminton, 1998. Mixed media on paper, 152.5 x 122.0 cm. Collection of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Gift of the artist, 2005. © Sarindar Dhaliwal

Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up - artworks slideshow

Sarindar Dhaliwar, Hey Hey Paula, 1998. Installation consisting of 544 inkjet photographs on Fujiflex polyester paper, muslin curtain, rotary telephone with audio on a painted wooden table. Dimensions variable. Installation view, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Brock University, 2015. © Sarindar Dhaliwal. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

Sarindar Dhaliwal: When I grow up - artworks slideshow

In the Studio with Sarindar Dhaliwal

Watch Sarindar Dhaliwal in her home studio discussing some inspirations behind her artwork, her creative process, and her practice overall.

PAST EVENTS reusable block

PAST EVENTS

watercolour painting of a billboard in India featuring various advertisements for different services and businesses

Screenings

Sarindar Dhaliwal: Record Keeping

Saturday, November 4, 2 pm

Dir. Sunil Gupta, 2004

More Info

Talks

Sarindar Dhaliwal in Conversation

Saturday, October 14, 2 pm

Join artist Sarindar Dhaliwal, artist and writer Richard Fung, and curator Marcie Bronson in a conversation about Dhaliwal’s work moderated by exhibition curator and AGO Associate Curator, Canadian

More Info