I Will Meet You Again Fowler Museum
Portrait of Amrita Pritam at the cusp of the partition of India with her verses in Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi
“I will meet you yet again, How and where? I know not. - but I will meet you for sure.” - Amrita Pritam
With the poignant words of the poem “I Will Meet You Again” setting the tone for the themes of “Sunghursh” (Struggle), “Basera” (Home) and “Birha” (Longing) unfolds a compelling story of the struggle for existence by the Sikh people. As a Sikh, who left her home and family behind to pursue the dream of a better life in the US, I could relate at a very personal level to the presentations of paintings, posters, audio and visual multi-media works by the artists represented here in the exhibition.
This exhibition is a part of the “Creating in Community” theme of the Fowler Museum’s 60th Anniversary celebration. Since the California Sikhs represent more than 50% of the total Sikh population in the US, this exhibition featuring the history and culture of the Sikhs fits in well into the overarching theme
While the content of this exhibition spoke to me at a very personal level, it was the tour by curator, Sonia Dhami, president of Art & Tolerance, trustee of The Sikh Foundation, and managing editor of the Sikh Research Journal that brought it alive for me in a very meaningful way.
Women and their contributions are often lost in the mists of obscurity and the arrogance of patriarchy. Sonia has selected a body of works that showcases and highlights women and their roles as artists, activists, home makers to shine a light on their contributions.
The visual impact of the entrance had me catching my breath. The linen panels by artist Rupy C Tut from her “Decoding the Hate Helix” swaying gently in a nonexistent breeze, framing Sunroop Kaur’s powerful self-portrait and the militant soldier priest standing over a crumbling Golden Temple set the tone for what is to follow.
From this first step in, you are captured and enraptured, and your brain is working as fast as your feet and eyes and ears.
Perhaps the second most powerful impact on me was this exhibit with the suitcases that depict migrations on a generational basis. My parents both migrated from what became Pakistan in the partition of India in 1947 and started life anew in a secular India. They were more fortunate than many others in that their journey was somewhat uneventful even though life as they had known it was changed forever.
Many members of my family moved to different corners of the world after the genocide in 1984. I myself left my home and family in India to begin a new life in the US, with all my worldly goods packed into one suitcase and $200 in cash in my pocket.
Who knows what is in store for my children or my children’s children. What I have learned is that humans are resilient, and home is where the heart is, not bricks and mortar and the heart of course is family.
Two large paintings showcase the now and then of making a home and the woman’s integral role in forming the center of the house but also the evolution of the role through the ages.
A sense of longing for things left behind a sense of loss, a desire to reach out and touch. A dream for things to get better. Part of a series of paintings by artist Rupy C. Tut titled Reaching out to Homeland.
I see this in my 91-year-old Aunt who still remembers her home in Sargodha, still yearns for one more glimpse of what was left behind.
Longing in another sense. This is a painting of a gurdwara left behind in Pakistan. The artist has taken the mud from the ground on which the Gurdwara stands and mixed it into his paint, so it is contained in the painting. In a very real sense taking the mud from your home along on your journey no matter where it might lead.
Threads of Change from the series Slaves of Fashion painted by the Singh Twins. This painting depicts the impact of colonization and Indo-British Trade the impact of which is felt even today. A very powerful moving work once you examine the detail in these paintings.
The struggle is never ending. there’s always something continuing to happen. The farmers protest against unfair farm bills that caused these workers to camp outside the capital when they were prevented from entering. They withstood, heat, cold rain until the central government was forced to repeal the laws. They yet struggle for justice on this issue.
What would the Lord of Death and Justice make of the state of affairs at play? a very powerful message by artist Manjot Kaur about the current socio-political environment in India.
A moment of joy and celebration as Pakistan opened a corridor that allowed Sikh pilgrims to travel to religious shrines in Pakistan under controlled circumstances.
Thank you, Sonia. I truly enjoyed seeing the exhibition through your eyes and coloring it with my life’s experiences.
Let’s end as we began with Amrita Pritam’s poem “the threads of memory are woven with enduring specks. I will pick up these particles, weave the threads and I will meet you yet again”.