Anjum Singh (1967 – 17 November 2020) was an Indian artist whose works focused on urban ecology, environmental degradation, and her own struggles with cancer.[1][2][3] She was born in New Delhi, India, and she continued to live and work there.[4] Singh was the daughter of noted Indian artists Arpita Singh and Paramjit Singh.
Singh noted the Hungarian-Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil as amongst her first artistic influences with her early works focusing on figurative motifs.[5] Her works later evolved to showcasing urban ecology and environmental degradation. They were exhibited both in solo shows across India, Singapore, and the US, with her group exhibitions being showcased in Melbourne, Cairo and London, in addition to other cities in India.[2] In a review of her first individual showing in New York in 2002, The New York Times mentioned, "With their lucid forms and appetizing colors, the six paintings in Anjum Singh's New York solo debut make an instantly welcoming first impression, though they tend to keep their meanings in reserve."[6]
Her last exhibition, held in September 2019 at Talwar Gallery in New Delhi and titled I am still here,[7] was autobiographical with her depiction of her own body and her struggles with cancer.[8] The paintings used oil on mixed media. In a review titled "Agony and Ecstasy of Anjum Singh", The Hindu mentioned, "It is one of the most well-hung exhibitions of the season, presenting dramatic views of individual paintings and compelling groupings of works on paper."[6][3] It is noted that her intimate and sensitive autobiographical depictions stemmed from her own illness and fight against cancer.[8]
Some of her famous works included Bleed Bled Blood Red (2015), Heart (Machine) (2016), and Blackness (2016).[8][9]
She was a recipient of the Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship for a residency at Gasworks Studios, London, in 2002–03 and had earlier also won an award at the Sahitya Kala Parishad's Yuva Mahotsava in 1991.[2]
Singh died on 17 November 2020 in New Delhi, after a long battle with cancer, aged 53.[2][10]
