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Cover

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Artist: Keerat Kaur, Canada
Title: Naksha
Medium: Natural pigments, 24k shell gold on Wasli Paper
Commissioner: Dash Virdee

"Naksha, rendered in natural pigments and 24K shell gold, captures the expanse of the Sikh Empire at the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's passing. To evoke a sense of timelessness, I chose not to include a specific date, preserving an ambiguity that also complements the 2025 calendar date. River and city names are delicately lightened to allow the symbols to take precedence, lending the work a more visual than textual focus.

Non-empire territories are colored in a deep red, a nod to Ranjit Singh’s foreboding reflection on the spread of foreign control. A few cities outside the empire, like Patiala, hold personal significance for me, adding context to the larger map, which is scattered with symbols of mountains and tree life.

Malachite marks the territories within the empire. An ancient compass motif, the south-pointing fish, provides directionality, while two battle standards flank a central gajgah symbol—reminders of the martial prowess that defined and defended the empire. The left side of the map is adorned with objects of battle: cannon, helmet, water canteen, shield, and sword.

Each city reveals its own story:

  • Near Peshawar, Hari Singh Nalwa's shield stands as a tribute to his governance.
  • The Shahi Mosque in Chiniot and the Martanda Sun Temple in Kashmir highlight the empire’s religious inclusivity.
  • Multan, a hub on the trade route, displays a pomegranate, commonly found in its markets.
  • In Gujranwala, a lion pays homage to Ranjit Singh, the Lion of Punjab.
  • Kangra depicts Sada Kaur on an elephant.
  • Chamba is marked by a malachite stone—both a nod to the pigment used in this work and a tribute to its vibrant miniature painting tradition.
  • Jhelum, vital for supplying horses, shows one modeled after Nila, a recurring figure in my work with deep roots in Sikh thought.
  • Lahore, as the empire’s capital, is marked with Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s throne.
  • Amritsar, naturally, bears the golden Harimandir Sahib.

This piece is a layered homage to the empire’s cultural, strategic, and spiritual legacy."

Artist

Keerat Kaur, Canada

Keerat Kaur is a Canadian-born Artist & Architect (lic. OAA) with Sikh-Panjabi roots. Her work takes shape through the disciplines of painting, sculpture, writing, music, and architecture. Drawing inspiration from Sikh philosophies, she employs the art of metaphor and symbolism to revolutionize our relationship to nature and spirituality. Her aesthetic sensibility lies within a realm where the ordinary merges with the dreamlike.

Regardless of the chosen medium, Kaur’s work is firmly rooted in the written word, serving as a pivotal starting point. This characteristic lends her work a profoundly narrative and illustrative quality, as imagery and language seamlessly coalesce, enriching each other’s impact.

She completed her schooling in French Immersion, received her BA in 2012 (Western University) and her Master of Architecture in 2016 (U of T), while continuing her formal training in the Dhrupad and Khayaal schools of Indian Classical Music. Having a passion for languages, she is able to read, write and speak Panjabi, French, and Hindi. She is currently learning the Shahmukhi script and is studying the ancient language of Braj through the examination of historical Sikh texts. More recently, her work has contributed to the advancement of language-learning and preservation. Keerat currently lives and works between Burnaby, BC and London, Ontario.