The Singh Twins (twin sisters Amrit Singh MBE and Rabindra Kaur Singh MBE) are British artists who work together on their artworks. Their work draws on both traditional Indian (in particular,

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

) tradition, Western medieval illuminated manuscripts and contemporary Western culture, often 'pop culture'. Their work has been shown in galleries and museums such as the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

in London. Both sisters were conferred with the

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in 2011.

Early life

Twin sisters Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh are British artists of

heritage. They were born in Richmond, Surrey, and raised in Birkenhead. They were the only non-Catholics to attend their Catholic convent school, Holt Hill Convent. In the mid 1980s to 1991 they studied art together at University College, Chester, followed by Manchester University.

Work

They combine traditions from both Eastern and Western art to make provocative and sharply political work. The sisters' work is always credited to The Singh Twins, even if the sisters have worked alone on a piece. The Singh Twins work from their studio near

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, which is next to the family home they share with their extended family. The Singh Twins' work is influenced by Indian miniature paintings, but deals with British contemporary culture, as well as topics such as globalisation and migration. In 2002, their work was the subject of an exhibition at the

National Gallery of Modern Art The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the premier art gallery under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The main museum at Jaipur House in New Delhi was established on 29 March 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent b ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, making them only the second British-born artists, after

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

, to be accorded such an honour. In 2009 their work was the subject of an exhibition, "The Singh Twins: Art in Motion" at

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

Art Gallery. The following year the

featured 27 of their works as part of an exhibition, and

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in Sunderland, England. It contains the only known British example of a gliding reptile, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding flight. The exhibit was discovered in Eppleton qua ...

held a retrospective of the previous two decades' worth of their work. In 2011, the sisters were conferred with the

(MBE) by

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

for their ‘services to the Indian miniature tradition of painting within Contemporary Art’. The sisters' other achievements and awards include the UK Asian Achievers Awards for Media, Arts and Culture, three honorary doctorates, and Honourary Citizenships of Liverpool. In 2018 they curated the ‘Slaves of Fashion’ exhibition at the

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 ...

in Liverpool. In 2020 they were featured in '' Grayson's Art Club'', hosted by

Grayson Perry Sir Grayson Perry (born 24 March 1960) is an English artist. He is known for his ceramic vases, tapestries, and cross-dressing, as well as his observations of the contemporary arts scene, and for dissecting British "prejudices, fashions and foib ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, and a work of theirs is in the accompanying exhibition at

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupi ...

. Perry said of the twins, whose work he admires: 'They combine traditions from both Eastern and Western art to make provocative and sharply political work.'

References

External links

The Singh Twins' website
Living people Artists from London Musicians from Birkenhead British artists English people of Indian descent English Sikhs Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-artist-stub

Early life

Work

See also

References

External links