REFLECTIONS — SANGAT AND THE SELF, Jasmir Creed & Roo Dhissou

Upcoming

Sep 19

VEIL, 2024, Jasmir Creed.

19 Sep 2025–2 May 2026
without SHAPE without FORM HQ, Slough

A collaborative exhibition of newly commissioned and recent works by Manchester-born painter Jasmir Creed and Birmingham-based artist Roo Dhissou working at the intersection of social justice and visual practice. The project has been conceived by and includes collective artwork from without SHAPE without FORM.

REFLECTIONS will explore the themes of the INDIVIDUAL, KINSHIP AND HEALING, while addressing the wider societal issues such as mental well-being and social fragmentation.

Together, both artists critically dialogue with and complement each other’s work within without SHAPE without FORM’s philosophy, inviting the audience to consider their own approaches to understanding self through community and daily practice. While Jasmir’s work zooms in on PERSONAL identity and Roo emphasises the role of COLLECTIVE encounter, without SHAPE without FORM provides a holistic framework of ‘BEYOND’, fusing the two sensitivities and propositions into an open-ended experience of unity.

Visitors are invited to SLOW DOWN, EXPLORE and REFLECT upon different aspects of how healing can be processed and experienced. By interweaving such moments of connection and self-discovery throughout the space, all the artworks will examine how TRUE and LASTING HEALING comes from within, highlighting clarity of mind and Sangat (gathering and fellowship) as the key factors in combating isolation and division.

BUT WHAT IF I GAVE MYSELF AN OUNCE OF THE CARE I SHOW FOR OTHERS?, 2023, Roo Dhissou.

BIOGRAPHY, JASMIR CREED: In her psychologically charged figurative paintings Jasmir explores cultural alienation both within urban and domestic environments with particular focus on the experience of British South Asian women. Using vivid colours and expressionistic style, her carefully constructed oil paintings feature anonymous crowds, iconic buildings and public monuments as well as locations significant for modern British history such as Trafalgar Square in London, alongside self-portraits and intimate room interiors. These works reflect the artist’s own lived experience, highlighting the themes of detachment, the ‘other’ and transcultural hybridity from unique and personal perspectives.

A practice-led PhD researcher at the Slade School of Fine Art, Jasmir has been featured in exhibitions such as "Dystopolis" at the Victoria Gallery and Museum and has participated in the Asia Triennial Manchester. Her involvement in group exhibitions like "Where is Home?", which toured including the Whitworth Art Gallery, explores themes of migration and identity. Jasmir work is also part of collections, including the Imperial War Museum North.

BIOGRAPHY, ROO DHISSOU: Through a research-led, materially grounded practice, Roo interrogates how knowledge, memory and authority are constructed across domestic, spiritual and institutional spaces. Working with methods that include food, publishing, sculpture, installation and dialogue, she challenges normative modes of engagement and calls for alternate ways of being with others.

Roo has been involved in numerous notable projects and exhibitions across the UK and internationally, including residencies in Spain and Canada. She has collaborated with institutions like the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool and more. Her practice-based PhD, funded by the AHRC, is titled “Cultural Dysphoria: British Asian women artists beyond binaries.” Most recently, she has received the Support Structures Award 2024 from Serpentine for artists working at the intersection of social justice and visual art.

Supported by