Chila Burman Autumn 2024
Art After Dark
Autumn Edition 2024
Meet Chila Kumari Singh Burman
A key figure in the British Feminist Arts movement, Chila Burman is celebrated for her radical feminist approach to art. Working across multiple mediums—printmaking, painting, installation, film. Having studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, Burman’s career spans decades, during which she has consistently explored the intersection of identity and culture.
Burman’s work has captured attention globally. In 2020, she was chosen for the Tate Britain Winter Commission, resulting in the hugely popular installation 'Remembering A Brave New World'. She has also created striking light installations for Covent Garden, Liverpool Town Hall, and Blackpool’s Grundy Art Gallery. In 2022, Burman was awarded an MBE for her outstanding contribution to the arts.
This year, Burman was a finalist for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square and is currently exhibiting 'Same but only different' at the prestigious Venice Biennale.
Her work is part of numerous prestigious collections, including the Tate Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, Arts Council Collection, and the Devi Foundation in New Delhi.
Experience Burman’s bold, thought-provoking creations in the heart of the West End this October.
Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE headlined Art of London’s Art After Dark from 10-12 October 2024.
Chila transformed the West End with a dazzling neon art installation which took place alongside late-night openings of world-class galleries and institutions.
Burman’s installation, titled 'There Is No Darkness in the Garden of Light', featured 14 luminous artworks, including eight new commissions created specially for Leicester Square Gardens. Towering nearly ten feet high, the glowing sculptures reflected her Indian heritage and celebrated London’s diverse communities.
Highlights included radiant depictions of Indian deities Laxmi and Ganesh, a whimsical underwater scene with fish and seashells, and vibrant icons of South Asian femininity – even a magical, Barbie-inspired figure.
The neon trail stretched beyond the gardens, lighting up iconic West End landmarks like the Trocadero, The Hippodrome Casino, Westminster Reference Library, and The Londoner Hotel. Other standout pieces, such as Dragon, Phoenix, Mermaid, and Ice-Cream Cone, added a playful and immersive element, drawing visitors into a kaleidoscope of light and creativity.
Burman’s installation debuted ahead of Diwali, perfectly timed to celebrate light and colour. Shakespeare’s presence in Leicester Square Gardens was honoured with the quote, 'There is no darkness but ignorance,' inscribed on his statue’s fountain, connecting to Burman’s philosophy of art as a force for knowledge and inclusivity.
Credits
- New Public
- Premier PR
- Westminster City Council
- Landsec
- Criterion Capital
- The Londoner
- Westminster Reference Library
- The Hippodrome
- London Trocadero
- Heart of London Business Alliance