Artist Biography
Jiten Thukral (b. 1976, Jalandhar, India, based in New Delhi, India) and Sumir Tagra (1979, born and based in New Delhi, India) have collaborated since 2004 to explore notions of consumer culture, globalisation, diasporic Indian communities, migration and identity. Building a practice that spans painting, sculpture, installation, design, video, music and interactive games, the duo employ humour and playful storytelling to offer alternative ways of engaging with complex social and political themes.
Their visual approach—described as ‘Punjabi Baroque’, a postmodern architectural style of India’s rising middle class marked by exaggeration and flamboyance—is notably demonstrated in their immersive and multimedia installations. Match Fixed (2010) satirically examines the phenomenon of modern Punjabi men deserting their arranged marriages at home to pursue their education and career aspirations abroad. Set in a garishly furnished living room, the work is humorously presented as a sports match where runaway grooms are pitted against tragic brides and their fathers—exploring social hypocrisy, gender inequality and the clash between cultural traditions and personal ambitions.
Thukral obtained his BFA from Chandigarh Art College in 1998 and his MFA from New Delhi College of Art in 2000. Tagra obtained his MFA from New Delhi College of Art in 2002 and completed his postgraduate studies in Communication Design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in 2006. Their work is held in major collections including the Arken Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen; Dubai Design District; New York Public Library; Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane; and The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing.
Notable recent exhibitions include Prussian Blue (2023), Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Noida; After Hope (2020), Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Vision Exchange (2019) University of Toronto Art Centre; and Climate Control (2016), Manchester Museum. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire (2022), 5th Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi; The Promise of Grass (2022), 5th Biennial Contemporary Art, Mardin; Breaking Ground (2018), 1st India Ceramics Triennale, Jaipur; and From Modernity to Eternity (2007), 1st Animamix Biennale, Shanghai.
Thukral and Tagra had their residency at the STPI Workshop in 2009, resulting in the exhibition Low-Tech Family Vacations (2010).