Joya: AiR / Rupi Dhillon / ENG

photo Simon Beckmann

“My practice and research situate themselves around the term Cultural Dysphoria. Cultural Dysphoria is a relatively new term which I hope to give weight, through my artwork and an upcoming PhD scholarship.

I came to Joya: AiR with the intention to explore the culture of antique water systems specific to the region, with the water systems of my native Punjab. 

Upon discovering the ways in which water traverses the land there, I explored indo-futurism, the body as a site, spiritual beings, cyborgs and climate in order to create a narrative based film which will release later this year in November.

As well as great studio space, time and a landscape which breeds creative thought, Joya also introduced me to four other great artists from San Francisco, Barcelona and Paris. This gave me a chance to collaborate and allowed me to think about my practise in an even more interdisciplinary manner. I’m looking forward to returning to Joya later this year to launch the film and also to see what new inspiration and meaningful connections it can bring.”

Rupi Dhillon

Rupi Dhillon is a British, Indian, (British Asian, Punjabi, and all things in between and beyond) multidisciplinary artist based in the UK.

She explores the relationships and connections we have with one another as well as how we formulate a sense of self. Through her arts practice she investigates how multiplicity in culture is conducive to the concept of belonging and space. She is interested in facilitating discourse around race, gender and social class and the performability of these social structures.  Using playful techniques, her current work reimagines cultural experience through gestalt expression, participatory performance, shared practices, gifting and attachments in found objects. 

Rupi was the recipient of the prestigious Gertrude Aston Bowater Bequest as well as the Inaugural AIS Award 2020 and Tate Liverpool Artists Award 2020. Rupi has both a BA Hons and MA in Fine Art. She currently works with contemporary art gallery Ikon in Birmingham as a Research Assistant for Ikon in the 1990s funded by the Paul Mellon Centre. This year she will be showing with Coventry Biennial, Niru Ratnam and more recently has had work acquired for New Art Gallery Walsall’s - Twenty Twenty Collection.