Next March, Serpentine will present Remembering, the first institutional solo exhibition of Arpita Singh’s work in London. Open at Serpentine North from 20 March to 27 July 2025, the exhibition will showcase works selected in consultation with the artist from her prolific career which expands over six decades.

Arpita Singh said: “Remembering draws from old memories from which these works emerged. Whether I am aware or not, there is something happening at my core. It is how my life flows. Serpentine is a known and well-established gallery. To have a solo show there is a pleasure, honour, and surprise to me.”

Born in Baranagar in 1937, Singh emerged in the 1960s, developing a painting practice that brings together Surrealism and figuration with Indian Court painting narratives. She combined this with periods of abstraction, using pen, ink, and pastels to form dynamic lines and perforations on the surface to create layers and textures.

Remembering at Serpentine North will explore the full breadth of her practice, ranging from large-scale oil paintings to more intimate watercolours and ink drawings. From the 1990s, Singh increasingly explored themes of gender, motherhood, feminine sensuality, and vulnerability, alongside representations of violence and political unrest in India and internationally. In particular, the artist engaged with the distinctive impact of local, national, and global events on the psychology of women, particularly those within her social network.

The paintings on view will celebrate Singh’s endless experimentation with colour and mark making to figuratively explore emotional responses to social upheaval and international humanitarian crises.

Image: Arpita Singh, A Feminine Tale, 1995. Courtesy of Taimur Hassan Collection © Arpita Singh, Photo: Justin Piperger