Saffronart is saddened by the loss of artist Anjum Singh, who passed away on 17 November 2020. A passionate and dedicated artist, Singh will be remembered for the indelible mark that she left on the Indian art community. 

Born in 1967, she dedicated her life to painting, spending her early years influenced by her parents – Arpita and Paramjit Singh – before following her passion to Santiniketan. In 1991, Anjum completed her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the College of Art in New Delhi, before going on to the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC in 1992 to study painting and printmaking. It was here that she developed her signature style using flat structures that emphasised colours, textures, and patterns. 

In the years that followed, Anjum’s work was exhibited at several local and international platforms, including the exhibition Paths of Progression presented by Bodhi Art and Saffronart in New Delhi (2005), as well as the 7th International Cairo Biennale (1998) and the Hong Kong International Art Fair (2008), among others. 

In her most recent exhibition, I am still here (Talwar Gallery, New Delhi, 2019-2020), Anjum explored her personal struggles with cancer and the internal, intricate complexity and beauty of the body. In an interview, the artist explained that her style and method had transformed, and “I’ve become more playful, more relaxed in the way I paint, in the way I mix. Earlier I was very fussed and straight-lined. I’ve become a lot more fluid in the way I paint and in my choice of material.” (Artist quoted in Rosalyn D’Mello, “Illness as a Metaphor,” OPEN, 11 October 2019, online)

Anjum Singh’s passing is a loss to the art community and she will be deeply missed.