Current Projects

Artist in Residence with Projeto Maria Lucia Cattani with exhibitions at Winchester Art School Library (Feb – April) & Womens Library, Special Archives, Goldsmiths, London (May – June 2023).

Shortlisted for Max Mara Prize for Women by Whitechapel Gallery and Maramotti Foundation in Italy.

2021-2022

Residency with Runnymede Stories – National Trust Runnymede. Created an outdoor temporary installation in the grounds of Runnymede (near Old Windsor), following consultation and participation community workshops at the Curve in Slough and National Trust Runnymede. The workshops collated information around how Land & Freedom –  climate change, preservation of biodiversity and conflict affects us all in different ways. 25 flags were made with text and image on calico and bamboo posts, installed in a spiral form in the stable grounds.

2019 – 2020

Created Seasonal Art Activity packs (Arts Hub in Thamesmead) with three other Bow Artists for free distribution to families with children – over the Lockdown period.  This was supported and funded by London Community fund and Peabody Housing.

Kantha Katha-K Project in partnership with Amina Khyyam Dance Company, Dance Woking & Liaise Womens Centre – Community Project with women to create individual embroideries based on personal stories over the Lockdown period. Online workshops run in London, Woking, Luton, Brighton, Birmingham and Leeds. 

Based in Thamesmead  since 2018 as part of Bow Arts Artist community.

Worked with Stephen Turner/Bow Arts on the  ‘Exbury Egg’ project at Lakeside Art Centre. Created an installation in the Egg inspired by healing plants from the Monks Herb Garden at Lesnes Abbey in Thamesmead.

2018 – 2019

Visiting Artist at  Tipografia Grifani Donati in Città di Castello

Visiting Tutor at Nottingham University, department of Architecture

Arts Educator with Bow Arts.

Arts Asia – Anglo Indian Architecture project with Reading Museum and Art Galleries.

Visual arts residency with Arts Asia at Burnham Grammar School and Burham library.

2016 – 2017

Arts Educator with Bow Arts.

Garuda’ Celebrating Ram Gopal, a SADAA (South Asian Diaspora Arts Archive) and a Victoria and Albert Museum, Heritage Lottery Funded project with Burnham Grammar School.

Mural Project with year 5 pupils with Stephen Headland Primary School with Bow Arts.

2015 – 2016

Arts Educator at Childeric Primary School & Stephen Headlam Primary School, London.

Completed ‘Re – Examining Practice’ – An Arts Council funded research and development grant for the Arts, during which I developed experience of working with new materials and techniques.

Showcased a new work created during Re-Examining Practice at Bow Arts gallery.

Showcased installation at Bow Arts Courtyard as part of Architectural week in collaboration with DM Architects, East London.

Exhibition of work in Media Galleries, Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Contributed to Makernow blog, Digital Fabrication Lab, Falmouth Blog

http://www.makernow.co.uk/users/bhajan-hunjan

Public art and site specific commissions

2013 – 2015

Grafton Primary School, London. The commission reflects the school achievements as a wall installation on its external wall in the entrance to the school. Materials used are tinted and layered laser cut stainless steel in form of a tree it encloses the historic restored school emblem.

Lead artist,Tower Hamlets Council Highways for the Bethnal Green High Street Improvement Scheme. Designed features include seating, light totems and banners for Oxford House.

Commission for art works for the Victoria Ward, Royal Brompton, Hospital, South Kensington, London

2010 – 2012

St Paul’s Way Transformation with Tower Hamlets Council Highways Team and Bow Arts. Worked on the overall vision of the street with the SPWT team through consultation and participation with key partners in the local community. Resulting commissions are designed street light columns, bollards and ‘Feel Good’ text in the paving.

2009 – 2011

Lower Lea Three Mills Canal Project with British Waterways, Intermarine Ltd and London Thames Gateway. Worked as lead artist on creative input at Three Mills mooring site for the boat service along the Lea Canal, completed project included Laser Cut stainless steel railings with blue lights.

2009 – 2010

Design for the concrete roundels commissioned by SPARK for Open Minded

Play Spaces project in Braunstone Park, Leicester, in with Spirit Projects. Workshops were carried out with five local Primary Schools and Sure Start Project for collation of ideas.

2008 – 2010

‘Lightbox’ commission for Art at the Centre project for Slough Borough Council with Packman Lucas Structural Designers & Eluna Glass. An under-lit artwork made in recycled glass rich with symbols and numbers surrounded by curved granite seating.

Four diameter granite Floorscape created as part of newly built Housing Scheme with Vale of White Horse District Council and Cranbourne Homes Ltd. The final designs and text incorporated in the artwork were inspired by the Ock Valley in collaboration with children from Unicorn School, Abingdon.

2006 – 2008

Commission for the Town Square ‘Art at the Centre’ project in Slough, with Allen Scott Architects & Pomery Natural Stone for Slough Borough Council. The initial workshops took place with Fusion Dance Company at Slough Young Peoples Project. Spanning over 200 sq. meters this artwork is made in water jet cut granite with poem by Amarjit Chandan, carved by Alec Peever into the two central strands.

2007- 2008

Eight Street entrance floorscapes in the Cultural Quarter around the newly built ‘Curve’ performance venue, in collaboration with Leicester Print workshop, for Leicester City Council. Each artwork traces local history and events with presence of local architecture, alongside way finding text with road names and proximity to local amenities.

2004 – 2007

Part of the Creative Team for ‘Art at Centre Project’ Slough.

 2005 – 2006

Community workshops to accompany development of new pathways for the Saxton Road housing Scheme in Aylesbury, Oxfordshire

2002 – 2005

Lead Artist/commission for Belgrave Behano Peepul Project, Leicester. A collaboration with Andrzej Blonski Architects. Designed the main foyer of the Peepul Centre with Lazenby Contracts Ltd, constructed in concrete spanning over 70 square meters.

2003 – 2004 Public Artist on two schemes as part of Spaces for Sports and Arts Sparkenhoe Community Primary School. Collaboration with Architects Ash Sakula. Facilitated by Public Art Leicester

Mellor Community Primary School with Architects Brooke Millar and the school community, Leicester for Crosscorner Centre, Leicester

St Matthew’s Floorscape, Leicester. Facilitated by Public Art Leicester. Designs developed through workshops with local groups and Taylor Primary School.

2002

Commission for Education Trolley (Anodised Metal), Cartwright Hall, Bradford Museums Service, Bradford.

Our Tree of Knowledge, Coloured Concrete Tree for Sparkenhoe Primary School, with artist Said Adrus, Leicester.

Welcome Desk’ Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. Collaboration with artist Christine Wilkinson.

2000 – 2001

Sacred Spaces a Cultural Mapping, neighborhood Public Art Commission in Highfields Collaboration with Said Adrus, facilitated by Public Art Leicester, Leicester City Council. Produced a master plan for possible public art commissions in the future.

1999

Our Tree of Knowledge,  Concrete work, Great Holland School, Bracknell

1997

Hexham Road community Art project. Co – coordinated by Arts Development, Reading Borough Council, funded by Arts Council England.

1994

Colour Dialogues Floor piece, Cartwright Hall, Bradford.

Summer Gathering Community Art Project, Norton Hall,

Birmingham in ceramic and colour concrete, funded by South Asian Visual Arts Festival.

Residencies and studios

2008 – ongoing            P1 Studios, with Bow Arts, East London.

2003 – 2008                 Highdown School and Sixth Form College, Reading

1996 – 1998                 Theale Green Community School, Reading

1992 – 1995                  South Hill Park Art Centre, Bracknell

1983 – 1991                   Open Hand Studios, Reading

Art Works in Public and Private Collections

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery – Bradford Museums and Art Galleries

Print Rooms, British Museum

Peter Palumbo Art Collection

Reading Museum and Art Gallery

Reading University Art Collection

University College London – Art Collection

Royal Brompton Hospital, London

Private Collections in Canada, France, India, Kenya, Switzerland, U.K. & U.S.A

Education

1982 – 1983                    PGCE in Art Education, University of Reading

1979 – 1981                    Slade School of Art, University College London

1975 – 1979                    University of Reading B.A Honours in Fine Art

Publications/Catalogues

• Movers and Makers – Uncertainity, Resilience and Migrant Creativity in Worlds of Flux by Parminder Bhachu

Routlledge, 2021

• ‘Transforming the Crown’, -African, Asian and Caribbean Artists in Britain 1966-1996 by Franklin Sirmans and Mora Beauchamp – Byrd. 2002

• ‘Beyond Frontiers’, South Asian Visual Arts Festival (1995) Publication. Edited by Amal Ghosh and Juginder Lamba, 2000.

• ‘Colour Dialogues’, Exhibition Catalogue – Deanna Petherbridge 1994

• ‘Black People and the British Flag’, 1993 Exhibition curated by Eddie Chambers. 

• ‘Crossing Black Water’, Panchayat Touring Exhibition Catalogue, curated by Allan de Souza and Shaheen Merali, 1992.

• Maud Sulter (ed.), Passion: Discourses on Blackwomen’s Creativity, Hebden Bridge: Urban Fox Press. 1990

• ‘Let the Canvas come to Light with Dark Faces’, 1990 Exhibition curated by Eddie Chambers.

• Bhajan Hunjan in, Chila Kumari Burman and Bhajan Hunjan, “Mash it up”, Spare Rib, no.128, March 1983.