Introduction

Arpana Caur is Sikhpoint.com's featured Artist for the 2006 Calendar. Born in Delhi in 1954, Arpana grew up in an environment that was rich in art and music. Arpana's mother is an award winning novelist, whose influence resonates in Arpana's very essence. Arpana attended Delhi University and graduated with an MA in Literature.

As a self taught painter, Arpana's influences came from her mother's writings, Punjabi folk literature, and the Pahari miniature tradition and Indian folk-art motifs. Her art is a direct reflection of her personal experiences, inspired by local and world events. Over the years, her main focus has centered on Indian women, and capturing the essence of their day to day activities inspired by social, cultural and spiritual themes.

For the last three decades her exhibitions have been shown in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, London, Cardiff, Amsterdam, New York, Berlin and Munich. For the past 5 years, three of her works including 'Nanak' and '1984' have been on display at the Sikh Art Gallery in the Smithsonian, Washington DC. She is the first and only Indian artist to be commissioned in 1995 to do a large work for the Hiroshima Museum of Modern Art.