Bharti Kher

Key facts

Born

1969, British-Indian

Movement

• Contemporary

Works held in

1 museum

• What is Bharti Kher known for?+

  Bharti Kher is recognised for her use of the bindi, transforming this traditional forehead decoration into a versatile artistic medium. She explores themes of identity, migration, and the hybrid nature of contemporary culture.
• What is Bharti Kher's most famous work?+

  Bharti Kher is best known for her use of bindis, the decorative forehead dot worn in South Asia, as a central element in her art. One of her most recognised works is "The Skin Speaks a Language Not Its Own" (2006). This sculpture features a life-size fibreglass elephant covered in bindis of different colours and sizes. The bindis transform the elephant's skin into a textured surface. The work was displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in London and has been widely reproduced and discussed. Kher's choice of the elephant, an animal of cultural importance in India, adds layers of meaning to the piece. The bindis, usually associated with feminine identity and spirituality, create a complex interplay between tradition and modernity. Other notable works include "Impossible Dialogue" (2007), a sperm-shaped sculpture made from resin and bindis, and various paintings and sculptural installations that incorporate found objects and mixed media. Kher’s work often explores themes of cultural identity, globalisation, and the female experience.
• What should I know about Bharti Kher's prints?+

  Bharti Kher is best known for sculpture and installation art. She incorporates found objects and unusual materials in her work, often exploring themes of identity and culture. Kher's most recognisable motif is the bindi. These forehead decorations worn in South Asia appear in many of her pieces. She arranges bindis in various patterns and scales, creating complex visual textures. These range from subtle fields to overwhelming accumulations. While Kher is not primarily a printmaker, she has produced some limited-edition prints. These prints often translate the concerns of her three-dimensional work into two dimensions. They may feature images of bindis or other recurring motifs from her artistic vocabulary. When considering Kher's prints, it is useful to understand her broader practice. Her prints are often closely related to her sculptures and installations in terms of imagery and concept. They offer a more accessible way to engage with the artist's exploration of cultural symbols and personal narratives.
• What style or movement did Bharti Kher belong to?+

  Bharti Kher's work resists easy categorisation within a single art movement. Her practice is inter-cultural, fusing local and global art history. Some scholars note a connection to South Asian miniature painting, where artists appropriate traditional forms to deconstruct ideological discourse. This approach involves narrative detail rather than theatrical excess. The artists' personae in paintings lean towards the generic, with realist interpretation appearing through celebration or disapprobation. However, Kher's style moves beyond direct reproduction. Traditional training in copying, rather than direct observation, can result in weaker works that repeat facial types. Some artists incorporate influences from Western art education, combining precision and poetry in a non-conformist way. This hybrid learning blends observation with art history, creating a virtual world. Ultimately, Kher's art is characterised by its unconcern with categorisation or cultural identity. Her work interlaces different learning experiences, creating a realism nurtured from observation.
• What techniques or materials did Bharti Kher use?+

  Bharti Kher is known for her diverse use of materials and techniques, often combining found objects with contemporary art practices. A signature element in her work is the use of bindis, the colourful dots traditionally worn on the forehead by women in South Asia. Kher applies these bindis in large numbers to create patterns and textures on various surfaces, from canvases to sculptures. Kher frequently incorporates found objects into her sculptures and installations. These objects range from everyday items, such as furniture and household objects, to more unusual materials, such as antique wooden doors and architectural fragments. She manipulates and transforms these objects, often covering them with bindis or other materials, to create new meanings and associations. In addition to bindis and found objects, Kher also works with paint, resin, and fibreglass. Her paintings often feature layered surfaces and complex compositions, incorporating abstract and representational elements. She also creates large-scale installations that combine sculpture, painting, and found objects to create immersive environments.
• What was Bharti Kher known for?+

  Bharti Kher is an Indian contemporary artist working in sculpture, installation, and painting. She is known for her use of bindis, the forehead decorations worn in South Asia, as a central element in her work. Born in London in 1969, Kher studied painting at Newcastle Polytechnic before moving to India in the early 1990s. Her practice often combines found objects with abstract and symbolic forms. She is interested in themes of cultural identity, hybridity, and the reinterpretation of traditional symbols. Kher's early bindi works involved applying the adhesive dots onto canvases in repetitive patterns, creating complex surfaces. These pieces explored ideas about mass production, consumerism, and the commodification of culture. Later, she began using bindis on three-dimensional objects, such as sculptures of animals and furniture, transforming them into richly textured surfaces. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (Gateshead), the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing). Kher continues to live and work in New Delhi.
• When did Bharti Kher live and work?+

  Bharti Kher was born in London in 1969. She attended Newcastle Polytechnic, receiving a BA in Fine Art in 1991. Kher then moved to New Delhi, where she continues to live and work. Kher's early work explored themes of identity and cultural hybridity, reflecting her own experiences as a British Asian woman living in India. She often uses found objects in her sculptures and installations, transforming their meanings through juxtaposition and alteration. A characteristic feature of her work involves the application of bindis, the colourful dots worn on the foreheads of Indian women, to a range of surfaces and forms. These bindis, sourced in a variety of colours and designs, create complex patterns and textures that add layers of meaning to her pieces.
• Where can I see Bharti Kher's work?+

  Bharti Kher's artwork has been featured in many collections and exhibitions around the world. While it is impossible to list every location, here are a few places where her work can be viewed. Examples of South Asian paintings are held in the British Museum (London), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the David Collection (Copenhagen), the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and the Museum Rietberg (Zurich). Other museums with relevant holdings include the Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). Additionally, the L.D. Institute of Indology (Ahmedabad), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Mumbai) all hold relevant works.
• Where was Bharti Kher from?+

  Information about Bharti Kher's place of origin is not present in the provided text. The passages discuss several contemporary Pakistani artists, and the relationship between Pakistani and Indian identity after the partition of British India in 1947. For example, the Lahore-born Seher Shah spent her childhood in Europe and the United States, and Bani Abidi divides her time between India and Pakistan. Several artists who were raised in India retained affiliations there after moving to Pakistan. The question of Pakistani national identity is complex, because the nation was created in 1947. This historical context informs the work of many Pakistani artists. The passages also discuss the work of contemporary artists such as Latif Qureshi and Abbas, and their approaches to portraiture.
• Who did Bharti Kher influence?+

  Bharti Kher's direct artistic influence is not widely documented in the provided texts. However, the passages discuss several contemporary South Asian artists who engage with similar themes and techniques. Nusra Latif Qureshi, for example, uses mixed media to critique the use of history for political ends. She appropriates Mughal imagery, manipulating it with silhouettes of colonial figures to expose shared imperial ideologies. Qureshi also explores the lack of female visibility in portraiture, using self-portraiture to address this absence. Imran Qureshi, while moving towards abstraction and installation, initially used figuration for satire, drawing inspiration from his experience as a puppeteer. His work evolved to address extremist views, portraying subjects with gentle humour before shifting to abstraction to evoke the horrors of violence. These artists, along with the broader exchange of art within South Asia, contribute to a pluralistic and diverse artistic environment. This environment sees Pakistani art linked to diasporic practices, international exhibitions, and promotion by Western galleries.
• Who influenced Bharti Kher?+

  Bharti Kher's artistic practice synthesises diverse influences, rather than following one particular school or artist. Her work often combines found objects and cultural references. Kher's background informs her art. Born in London in 1969, she moved to India in the early 1990s. This relocation exposed her to new visual and cultural stimuli that shaped her artistic vocabulary. The experience of being both insider and outsider seems to have affected her approach to materials and subject matter. The ready-made is important to Kher's practice. She incorporates everyday objects into her sculptures and installations. This strategy connects her to Marcel Duchamp's readymades and the Surrealist interest in found objects. However, Kher transforms these objects through repetition and recontextualisation. She covers surfaces with bindis, small coloured dots worn by women in South Asia. This signature element adds layers of meaning related to identity, culture, and globalisation. The bindis create patterns that are both decorative and symbolic.
• Who was Bharti Kher?+

  Bharti Kher is a British artist of Indian origin, known for her use of bindis in sculptures and paintings. She was born in London in 1969, and she studied at Newcastle Polytechnic before moving to New Delhi in 1993. Kher's work often explores themes of cultural identity and hybridity. She frequently uses found objects in her sculptures; these are combined with bindis, which are traditionally worn by women in South Asia. The bindi, a forehead decoration, becomes a visual element that questions notions of tradition and modernity. Her practice includes painting and drawing, often incorporating similar motifs. Kher's work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Her work is held in collections such as the Tate Modern, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the Devi Art Foundation in India. She continues to live and work in New Delhi.