Kirandeep Grewal is an artist and educator living in Canberra, whose multidisciplinary practice centers around mindfulness in everyday experiences. Her work emphasizes both learning and sharing, creating an open space for others to engage with art in meaningful ways. Over the years, Kirandeep has gathered various artistic techniques from her travels and interactions with artisans from diverse cultures. Her creations range from silk scarves to wall hangings and paintings, using materials such as silk, canvas, and paper. Through her art, she prompts viewers to reflect on harmony, migration, and their connection to nature.
One of Kirandeep’s notable textile pieces from 2023 is titled A Journey. This 65 x 63 x 2 cm framed work incorporates hand-dyed silk, linen, cotton, wool, and denim, all stitched with DMC threads. The piece was inspired by Australia’s Harmony Week, which celebrates cultural diversity and inclusiveness. Created over winter, the work became a meditative process where she contemplated both societal harmony and her inner self. Through A Journey, Kirandeep expresses her connection to the Australian land, its flora and fauna, and the ongoing quest to cultivate harmony within herself and her environment. This exploration of inner peace and balance paved the way for her later pieces, which delve deeper into the theme of migration.
Migration is a personal and recurring theme in Kirandeep’s work, and her journey as a migrant in Australia informs much of her artistic output. Two acrylic paintings from 2024, A Learning Journey and Green Vase, each measuring 60 x 46 x 2 cm, reflect her migration experience and the deep connection she feels to the Australian landscape.
In A Learning Journey, Kirandeep paints a self-portrait with her three children. A magpie, a bird native to Australia, features prominently, representing hope and joy. For Kirandeep, migration is more than just a physical relocation—it’s an act of love for future generations. She believes that migration is done with the next generation’s well-being in mind, an idea that is echoed in the intimate way she portrays her bond with her children in the painting. The magpie, a symbol of happiness and welcome, adds another layer to the story, symbolizing the warmth with which her new environment greeted her and her family.
Green Vase, another work from 2024, offers a different perspective by focusing on Kirandeep’s garden. The painting features dried daffodils from her garden, which she carefully depicts to emphasize their fragility. Her garden serves as a source of grounding and inspiration, offering her peace and stability. The delicate nature of the flowers mirrors the transient and fragile aspects of life, particularly for someone going through the process of migration. The work subtly conveys the tension between holding onto one’s past and embracing the changes that come with starting anew in a different place.
Both A Learning Journey and Green Vase highlight Kirandeep’s reflections on migration, portraying it as a process of personal growth and connection to the land. For Kirandeep, migration isn’t about losing identity, but about a gentle evolution, a patient journey toward becoming who one truly is. Her works invite viewers to reflect on their own experiences with identity, place, and change, encouraging them to embrace their own paths forward.
Kirandeep’s exploration of migration continues to grow, with new pieces adding depth to this deeply personal theme. Her combination of textile art and acrylic painting offers a platform to explore complex ideas with a quiet and meditative approach. The use of hand-dyed textiles and everyday items from her garden lends a tangible, grounded quality to her work, connecting the viewer to the physical world in a meaningful way.
In reflecting on Kirandeep Grewal’s work, it’s clear that her art is as much about the process as it is about the finished pieces. The intricate embroidery in her textile art and the thoughtful brushstrokes in her acrylic paintings embody her personal journey toward harmony and connection. Each work invites others to join her on a reflective journey of their own, engaging with themes of identity, place, and the natural world. Through her art, Kirandeep offers a meditative exploration of the universal search for peace and belonging.
