UNSTRUCK MELODY, Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu
22 Feb–3 Mar, 2024
V&A South Kensington, London
Unstruck Melody brings together the universal Sikh practice of transferring knowledge (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji), focused repetition (Simran), selfless service (Seva) and community (Sangat). Large-scale tapestries, mixed-media paintings and a take-away publication are tools for visitors to activate their practice of spirituality and help them embark on a transformative journey of the mind.
The artworks derive from contemporary Sikh teachings rooted in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, a compilation of sacred texts spanning over five hundred years that contain experiences, tools and practical applications from diverse geographical heritages and lineages. The exhibition’s title is the direct translation of Anhad Shabad or Shabad Guru, the internal sound that can be heard within us all through deep listening – the access point to knowledge. By allowing the mind to actively listen to ‘unstruck melody’ and to let it merge with its sound, freedom, peace and control can be obtained. The first tool needed to hear this powerful sound is Simran, the focused practice which eliminates thoughts.
This exhibition aims to create moments of self-discovery that provoke the curiosity of the internal sound. The newly commissioned film featuring Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu and curator Deep K Kailey explores ideas around deep listening, community formation and the ongoing practice of compassion, humility and generosity in everyday life as found in Sikh teachings that transcend time.
BIOGRAPHY: Nep is an interdisciplinary practitioner, based in Toronto, Canada, who works through the metaphysics of form and spatial rhythm within the infinite arcs of community and self-expression. Through material investigations of textile, sculpture, painting, video, and sound, Sidhu's work seeks symbolic pathways that help realise the formlessness of the divine through endless possibility and search.
He has previously exhibited at the Nagoya City Museum, Japan Aichi Triennale; Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit; Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow; Museum of Contemporary Art , Toronto; Esker Foundation, Calgary; Heard Museum Phoenix; V&A, London and The Frye Museum of Art, Seattle among others.
He is a member of the Black Constellation collective, designs adornment and clothing under the Paradise Sportif's moniker, and helps run Sher- E- Punjab Sports Academy in Chakar, Punjab with the local community.
Opening Hours:
Saturday–Thursday: 10am–5:45pm
Friday: 10am–10pm
Address:
V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road,
London,
SW7 2RL
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