Smashing the patriarchy with ferocity and fun

Though appointed as a Member of the British Empire, Chila Kumari Singh Burman's exhibition challenges British colonial legacies 

- Gautami Reddy

Fun, funny and fiercely feministChila Kumari Singh Burman embodies all these qualities. Born in 1957 to a Punjabi family that migrated to Liverpool, she has emerged as a vital voice challenging the predominantly white and male art world in Britain. A founding member of the Black Arts Movement in the 1980s, she led protests, wrote papers, presented exhibitions and created deeply personal, playful and politically charged collages, prints and paintings that reflected her unique experiences as a woman and artist of colour.

Of late, Singh is being celebrated for her captivating neon-lit sculptures and installations, including the ones that graced the Tate Britain facade during the lockdown, infusing a sense of joy into a sombre period. In recognition of her contributions to the visual arts, she was appointed as a Member of the British Empire (MBE) on the Queen's Birthday in 2022, a title she openly questions and subverts in her exhibition Merseyside Burman Empire at FACT Liverpool. In an interview with Lounge, she talks about what she does best: using her platform to ignite essential conversations about women, race and colonialism.

The title of the exhibition is a clever play on the acronym MBE. Can you elaborate the message it conveys in relation to the concept of empire and its reclamation?