REFLECTIONS — SANGAT AND THE SELF, Jasmir Creed & Roo Dhissou
Photo by Taran Wilkhu, 2025.1 Aug 2026–29 Aug 2027
The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
A participatory exhibition inviting reflection on personal and collective wellbeing through art.
Developed in collaboration with without SHAPE without FORM, an assembly of artists, thinkers and cultural practitioners rooted in Sikh philosophy, REFLECTIONS — SANGAT AND THE SELF brings together recent works by London-based painter Jasmir Creed and Birmingham-based artist Roo Dhissou alongside key works from the Whitworth collection.
The exhibition explores individuality, kinship and healing through community and spiritual practice. Visitors are invited into a shared space for reflection and dialogue, where healing is recognised as both a personal and collective experience. Amid growing mental strain and social fragmentation, the exhibition invites us to embrace reflection, connection and care as essential daily practices.
Works from the Whitworth collection help shape an environment of attentiveness and presence. Selected works by artists including Anish Kapoor, Chris Ofili and Bridget Riley invite reflection on emotional and psychological states, acting as forms of medicine for the mind. Interactive works encourage slow looking, thoughtful engagement, and offer practical tools for mental wellbeing.
Jasmir Creed’s work foregrounds the interior life of the individual, exploring emotional intensity, self-awareness, and the role of introspection in healing. In contrast, Roo Dhissou situates healing within shared experience. Drawing on practices of gathering, compassion and mutual care, her work centres community as a vital space of support and renewal.
A year-long public programme runs alongside the exhibition, with workshops, wellbeing sessions and social gatherings developed with partners including Wellcome Collection, London. A programme of Manji Gatherings and exchanges brings together artists, cultural leaders and health practitioners to explore belonging through shared experience.
A magazine and podcast series produced during the exhibition will expand on its themes with contributions from a range of voices, including local community groups, artists, students and Simran practitioners.
TRANSIENCE, 2024, Jasmir Creed. Photo by Taran Wilkhu.ABOUT JASMIR CREED
In her psychologically charged figurative paintings Jasmir Creed explores cultural alienation 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, Liverpool in 2019 and has participated in the Asia Triennial Manchester in 2018 and 2021. Her involvement in group exhibitions such as Where is Home? (2022), which toured to the Whitworth, explored themes of migration and identity. Jasmir's work is part of the collection of the Imperial War Museum North.
A String of Love, 2025, Roo Dhissou. Photo by Taran Wilkhu.ABOUT ROO DHISSOU
Through a research-led, materially grounded practice, Roo Dhissou 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.” In 2024 she received the Support Structures Award from the Serpentine, London for artists working at the intersection of social justice and visual art.
ABOUT THE WHITWORTH
The Whitworth is proudly part of The University of Manchester, operating as a convening space between the University and the people of the city. Founded in 1889 for “the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester” it continues this mission today in new contexts. The gallery, its park and gardens are home to the collection of over 60,000 works of art, textiles, sculptures and wallpapers and provides a platform for artists from around the world. The Whitworth is driven by a vision to actively seek and manifest connections between art, creativity, and their role in developing a more resilient and caring society through its exhibitions and award-winning civic engagement programme.
The exhibition and programme are supported by:
Henry Moore Foundation
Arts Council England
The Mildred Fund
Supported by
Opening Hours:
Mon (including bank holidays): Closed
Tue–Sun: 10am–5pm
Thu: 10am–9pm
FREE and OPEN TO ALL
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