Kuljit Bhogal
ਆਗੂ
Acrylic paint on canvas
This work considers the sacrifices made by the artist’s parents who migrated to the UK from a former British colony.
The title ਆਗੂ‚ is a translation of the word ‘leader’ or ‘pioneer’ in the Gurmukhi version of Punjabi and will be familiar to Southampton’s large Punjabi community.
The artist references Byzantine Christian art to elevate the immigrants to sainthood and to ask the viewer to consider the faith required to imagine a life in a new country that may always see you as a migrant.