The MMFA Acquires a Unique Collection of Sikh Art
INDIA, or PAKISTAN, PUNJAB REGION, Illustrated Janamsakhi, Mid-19th c., gouache, powdered gold ink, gold leaf, ink. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
On June 9, 2022, the MMFA inaugurated the first space ever dedicated to Sikh art in a Canadian museum, thanks to a major gift from Narinder Singh Kapany and Satinder Kaur Kapany, of the Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.), and the Honourable Baljit Singh Chadha and Roshi Chadha.
Laura Vigo
Sajdeep Soomal
Located in the Stephan Crétier and Stéphany Maillery Wing for the Arts of One World, this new gallery showcases the culture of the Sikh community, which has become an integral part of the North American fabric. Among the works exhibited, visitors will find miniature portraits of the founding ten Gurus of Sikhism, military and ritual paraphernalia, textiles, and archival material from the period of the British Raj, which shed light on aspects of the Sikh way of life from the late 19th century onwards.
View of the Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International. Photo MMFA, Denis Farley
Sikhism emerged in Punjab in the late 15th century with the poetic literature of Guru Nanak. He, along with the nine Gurus who succeeded him, fostered faith in one god, as well as professed the unity and equality of all humankind. Stemming from the anti-caste traditions of northern India, their teachings were rooted in an egalitarian ethic and strongly opposed the practice of untouchability. They offered individuals a path by which to liberate themselves from spiritual darkness through learning (sikhi). The hymns of the Gurus and the religious writings of several saints were eventually compiled by Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, in 1604 into a comprehensive sacred scripture, called the Guru Granth Sahib.
The first nine Gurus did not ask their followers, who mostly came from the merchant and farming communities of Punjab, to dissociate themselves from their original faiths of Hinduism or Islam. Rather, religious syncretism began to operate by means of the artistic repertoire and illustrative style chosen by the religious leaders in early Sikh visual culture, which drew from existent Hindu and Muslim traditions. In examining the extraordinary imagery featured in the pages of the Janamsakhi (literally meaning “birth testimonies”) or Guru Nanak’s prose hagiographies, one cannot fail to recognize the long traditions of Rajput and Mughal painting.
INDIA, or PAKISTAN, PUNJAB REGION, Illustrated Janamsakhi (detail), Mid-19th c., gouache, powdered gold ink, gold leaf, ink. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
It was only in 1699 that the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, created the order of Khalsa, the first community of Sikhs wholly devoted to the Guru as embodied in the holy scripture. Khalsa Sikhs bathed in holy water, shared a common surname and maintained daily bodily cleansing practices and a distinctive attire. This sense of identity strengthened in the 18th century, as the Sikh communities organized themselves to defend against Mughal and Afghan aggressions. On exhibit in the Museum’s gallery is an array of military paraphernalia, including a war quoit (chakar), a sword (talwar) and a large collection of silver, copper and bronze coins (nanakshahi), which attest to the expanding wealth and influence of the Sikh kingdoms.
View of the Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International. Photo MMFA, Denis Farley
INDIA, or PAKISTAN, PUNJAB REGION, mid-19th c., sword (talwar), steel, iron, gold, 7 x 91.3 x 15 cm. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
PAKISTAN, PUNJAB REGION, SIALKOT, mid-19th c., war quoit (chakar), steel, gold and silver inlay, 28.6 x 0.3 cm. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
As Sikh rulers consolidated political power, these spiritual leaders began commissioning portraits of themselves that evoked the style of Mughal painting. It is within this new political context that images of Guru Nanak were remade to highlight his leadership qualities. An early 19th-century three-quarter view painting shows a stylized portrait of a young Guru Nanak wearing a neatly tied turban and all-white attire. It conveys him as the forefather of a new genealogy of Sikh authorities.
Aspirations of sovereignty eventually led to the expansion of the Sikh rule and the flourishing of the Sikh Empire in Punjab and Rajasthan in the early 19th century, under the leadership of Ranjit Singh. The cosmopolitan capital, Lahore, became one of the richest cities in South Asia and an important centre for patronage, where some of the greatest painters of the Rajput and Mughal traditions continued to create. Thanks to them, the visual expression of Sikhism was transformed forever as increasingly specifically Sikh themes began to emerge in the visual arts. A beautiful painting now on display shows the glamour and wealth of Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala. In his pale green attire, the maharaja is accompanied by his son, clad in orange, while a holy man is featured in the centre of the composition, flanked by other bystanders seated in deference or attending in front of the dais.
INDIA, or PAKISTAN, PUNJAB REGION, Nanak, the First Teacher, about 1800-1810, gouache, powdered gold ink, ink, 23.8 x 15.5 cm. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
INDIA, or PAKISTAN, PUNJAB REGION, Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala and His Son Narinder Singh with a Holy Man, 19th c., gouache, powdered gold ink and ink on cardboard, 42.5 x 35.6 cm. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
Among the works donated by the Kapany Collection, a small selection of brightly coloured cotton shawls embroidered with fine silk enliven the space with their vibrant stylized vegetal motifs that evoke the wheat and corn fields familiar to the weavers. Called phulkaris (meaning “flower works”), these cloths were often woven by Hindu, Sikh and Muslim women in rural Punjab and were made to be worn or presented on special religious occasions or at significant life events such as weddings or births. They were not intended for sale to outside markets.
Having established itself as a modern religion in the 20th century, Sikhism developed its ethno-nationalist aspirations in the context of the Indian independence movement against the British Raj. Today, there are approximately 27 million Sikhs around the world and, while the majority are concentrated in northwest India, on the border with Pakistan, large communities of Sikhs also exist in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Smaller communities are also established in various other countries. Almost all of their members can trace their roots back to Punjab.1
INDIA, PUNJAB REGION, woman’s shawl (phulkari), about 1900, cotton, silk, 132 x 221 cm. MMFA, Sikh Art Collection, Narinder Singh and Satinder Kaur Kapany – Sikh Foundation International (U.S.A.). Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Thanks to the late Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany and his commitment for over half a century to collecting and promoting Sikh art,2 as well as to the Honourable Baljit Singh Chadha and Roshi Chadha for their important contribution to the creation of this new gallery, the Museum is able to provide a dynamic platform for dialogue, understanding, respect and inclusion that reflects the core values and contributions of the Sikh people.
From left to right: Ameeta Chadha; Dilmohan Chadha; Laura Vigo, Curator of Asian Art, MMFA; Stéphane Aquin, Director of the MMFA; Kiki Kapany, daughter of Narinder Singh Kapany and Satinder Kaur Kapany; Sonia Dhami, Executive Director of the Sikh Foundation International; Roshi Chadha, major patron and initiator of this unique project; Baljit Chadha, major patron and initiator of this unique project; and Danielle Champagne, Director General of the MMFA Foundation. Photo Sébastien Roy
1 Khushwant Singh, “The Sikhs of the Punjab,” in Susan Stronge, ed. The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms (London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1999), p. 13.
2 Paul Michael Taylor and Sonia Dhami, eds., introduction to Sikh Art from the Kapany Collection (Palo Alto, California: The Sikh Foundation International, 2017), p. 11-15.
