keerat kaur:
if gardens
COULD DREAM

This summer, Surrey Art Gallery, in community partnership with Indian Summer Festival and DIVERSEcity, presents If Gardens Could Dream, a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Keerat Kaur, opening July 11th as part of the Gallery’s summer exhibition opening.

If Gardens Could Dream considers how movement shapes cultural life. For Kaur, migration extends beyond the crossing of borders; it encompasses the circulation of stories, agricultural practices, South Asian traditions, and ways of understanding the world. Her work traces how these forms of knowledge travel across geographies, adapt to new conditions, and remain connected to ancestral lineages.

Working across painting, sculpture, digital media, embroidery, poetry, and architectural forms, Kaur examines how cultural knowledge is carried, transformed, and sustained across generations within the South Asian diaspora. Drawing from Sikh philosophies, Panjabi language traditions, and broader South Asian literary and visual histories, her work explores the connections between land, migration, language, and identity.

Kaur brings together a recurring set of forms that appear across materials and scales. Rather than functioning as fixed symbols, these motifs shift and gather meaning through repetition and change, offering points of reflection rather than instruction. The moon gestures toward cycles of time, discipline, and return, echoing Sikh understandings of attunement to larger rhythms beyond the self. The heart appears as both a bodily organ and a site of feeling and devotion, foregrounding sincerity and inner alignment. The pomegranate, dense with seeds, speaks to abundance and interconnection, resonating with communal values and diasporic networks of care. The lotus, rising from muddy water, reflects principles of humility and steadfastness—remaining grounded while moving through worldly conditions.

Associate Curator Suvi Bains says, “Kaur invites the viewer to consider the garden as more than a place—it becomes a living archive of memory, language, and belonging. Her work traces the journeys of stories, seeds, and cultural knowledge across generations and geographies, reminding us that marginalized communities take root in many places while remaining connected to ancestral lands. I’m honoured to share Kaur’s work in Surrey, where so many histories of migration, care, and cultural exchange continue to shape the city’s landscape.”

This exhibit grows out of her 2023 one at the Gallery called Panjabi Garden, building on her engagement with Panjabi and Gurmukhi scripts. With a love for illustration, writing, and design, Kaur says, “Panjabi Garden is an amalgamation of my favourite worlds, and it honours the mother tongue in which I uttered my first words.” The title itself reflects a commitment to linguistic specificity and decolonial practice. “Panjab” derives from the Farsi words panj (five) and ab (water), referring to the five rivers that shape the region. By using “Panjabi,” Kaur returns to a linguistic form that foregrounds cultural and historical context.

Banner Image credit: Keerat Kaur, Cor Granati, gouache on card, 2025

Programming:

Saturday, July 11th | 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Visit the Gallery for an enchanting evening of music, poetry, and art. Exhibiting artist Keerat Kaur joins Associate Curator Suvi Bains for a discussion and a live reading of her original poetry. Celebrate ARTS 2026 with the announcement of the People’s Choice award and make your own artworks inspired by Kaur’s love of the Gurmukhi language. 

Saturday, July 18th | 1:00pm - 5:00pm
You are invited to an afternoon of artmaking and learning. Immerse yourself in paintings, illustration, sculpture, embroidery, and beading of Keerat Kaur: If Gardens Could Dream. Drop-in to a workshop where artist-educators and volunteers will inspire you with art activities connecting nature and storytelling. Then join Keerat Kaur for an interactive story time and poetry reading. All are welcome at this drop-in event. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Thursday, July 30th | 7:00pm -8:30pm
Keerat Kaur will lead a tour in Panjabi about her new works in If Gardens Could Dream. Kaur will speak about the importance of celebrating the Panjabi language and Gurmukhi script through her passion for illustrations, poetry, music, and design. Learn about Kaur’s personal artistic practice along with why she treasures this particular language.