Developed in partnership with Wolverhampton Arts and Culture, visual artist
Anand Chhabra, Wolverhampton Poet Laureate Dr Kuli Kohli, and a team of
local Citizen Researchers, this exhibition creatively explores stories of the
Punjabi community in Wolverhampton through newly commissioned portraits,
archive material, oral histories and poetry.

Just some of the local stories include that of bus driver Tarsem Singh Sandhu,
who fought for two years for the right to wear his turban to work; Harjinder
Kaur a former community psychiatric nurse who brought greater knowledge of
mental health and dementia services to the South Asian community; and
Bishan Dass Bains, the first South Asian Mayor of Wolverhampton, whose
campaigns for equality and human rights improved the lives of thousands
suffering discrimination.

The free exhibition funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art
Fund also features a portrait of the award-winning journalist and author
Sathnam Sanghera, photographed with his inspirational mother, alongside
images from the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection, including an iconic
portrait of comedian and writer Meera Syal.

Ten new portraits by Anand Chhabra, and a newly commissioned poem by Dr
Kuli Kohli also feature in the exhibition, alongside ten new oral histories
collected by a team of Citizen Researchers that highlight just some of the
inspiring people and stories from Wolverhampton’s Punjabi communities. An
interactive map and timeline encourage visitors to share their own thoughts
and nominations for unsung heroes and migration stories.

City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Visitor City, Councillor
Bhupinder Gakhal, said: “This is a really important research project that the
city has been involved in with the National Portrait Gallery and we are
privileged that our gallery was chosen to be a partner on a project such as
this.

“By carrying out the research for Citizen UK Wolverhampton: Punjabi
Migration Experiences, the project has enabled stories to be uncovered,
shared and furthermore is enabling us to hear new stories that can be
archived for future generations to explore.

“The city has so many inspiring individuals from all communities, and this is
an incredible way to share our people’s story.”

Liz Smith, Director of Learning and Engagement, National Portrait Gallery
said: ‘We are delighted to have partnered with Wolverhampton Arts and
Culture and worked closely with Citizen Researchers, visual artist Anand
Chhabra, and Wolverhampton Poet Laureate Kuli Kohli, to share this work.
The resulting exhibition showcases striking new portraits and compelling life
stories to present the significant impact that Wolverhampton’s Punjabi community has had on both local and national life. We hope this is a moment
of celebration and a catalyst to collect more stories and voices with this
community.”

Robyn Llewellyn, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting The National Portrait Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery on this project, ensuring that this chapter of the UK’s heritage is given the recognition it deserves. This funding, which has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players, will ensure that heritage continues to represent and reflect all our local communities.”

Dr Kuli Kohil said: “There have been many highlights during my time as Poet
Laureate so far, but one opportunity holds a special place in my heart. I was
asked to be part of the UK Citizens project run by the National Portrait Gallery
and commissioned to write a poem for the project.

“It was such a wonderful experience to work alongside artist, Anand Chhabra,
and the Punjabi community and our excellent volunteers. Stories were dug out
about local Punjabi people, the untold experiences of migration from India to
Wolverhampton. It’s been a great pleasure to see all the effort everyone
involved has made to explore the gold mine of Wolverhampton.

“I am delighted that Wolverhampton Art Gallery is also exhibiting my poems
about my mum and dad being the first migrants in the country and coming
straight to Wolverhampton. I’m so proud. My commissioned poem will be
printed on postcards and people will be able to pick it up and take it away with
them.”

Anand Chhabra, Visual Artist & Director of Black Country Visual Arts, said:
“The project has been great to work on and as an artist has breathed new
ideas and skills for my work.

“Working with the National Portrait Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery
and rising Citizen Researchers has produced an excellent variety and range
around a small number of participants who have shared their amazing stories.
Without the researcher’s working on telling stories of people important to them
we would not have the amazing variety of individuals each with their own
experiences and the impact of living in the city in their formative years of
migration.

“It’s been such fantastic collaboration with Dr Kuli Kohli and all the community
should be proud of her role as the first female Asian Wolverhampton Poet
Laureate, as I am. She has always smiled throughout her time and her smile
has inspired me, understanding her fight with the hardships she has faced.
“With the confines of creating my own art for this project. I have been able to
create ten new portraits with an aim of seeing high levels of detail of the
participants involved in this project for audiences to see. These participants
and historical figures within the Punjabi community whose stories are not
easily accessible are now lifelike in appearance.

“I believe this project will inspire others to share and take pride in their stories
as we consider the past but also serve and inspire our city together going
forward.”

Citizen UK: Punjabi Migration Experience will be on display from Thursday,
May 18 until Sunday, July 9. Visitors will be able to see the display of new
portraits created by Anand Chhabra alongside work from the National Portrait
Gallery and stories collected and told by our Citizen Researchers about the
Wolverhampton Punjabi community.

The exhibition is free to attend and can be viewed Monday to Saturday
(10.30am to 4.30pm) and Sunday (11am to 4pm).

For further information on events and exhibitions taking place at
Wolverhampton Art Gallery visit www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk.