Few contemporary artists command attention like Chila Kumari Singh Burman. With blazing neon tigers, glittering surfaces, and a fearless mix of mythology, pop culture, and personal memory, the British-Indian artist has built a career defined by color, rebellion, and cultural pride. For over four decades, Burman has been pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, creating work that is as politically charged as it is visually exuberant.
Born in Bootle near Liverpool to Punjabi immigrant parents, Burman proudly identifies as a “Punjabi Liverpudlian.” Growing up in a working-class household shaped by migration, family enterprise, and community life, she absorbed influences that would later define her art. From the vibrancy of South Asian religious imagery to the irreverent energy of Liverpool’s music and street culture, her visual language evolved into a dynamic fusion of worlds.
Burman first came to prominence in the 1980s during the Black British Arts movement, when artists of color began challenging the narrow narratives dominating British cultural institutions. Her work stood out for its unapologetic embrace of hybridity, blending Bollywood glamor, Bhangra rhythms, punk sensibilities, feminist commentary, and South Asian iconography in ways that felt both radical and joyous.
In recent years, Burman’s neon installations have become her signature. Glowing tigers, ice-cream cones, bindis, Hindu deities, and mythological figures light up buildings and public spaces, transforming everyday environments into dazzling cultural narratives. The neon itself is deeply intentional, simultaneously referencing pop culture, religious symbolism, and the electric energy of urban life.
A landmark moment came in 2020 when she transformed the facade of Tate Britain with Remembering a Brave New World, unveiled on November 14 to coincide with Diwali. The installation turned the historic building into a radiant canvas of deities, tigers, and cultural symbols, bringing South Asian imagery boldly into the British art mainstream.
Burman’s momentum shows no sign of slowing. In 2025, her neon work Unicorn (Ekasringa) was reimagined in vibrant light for permanent display at Perth Art Gallery, blending myth and color in a joyful beacon that bridges cultures. That same year, she brought her signature neon and punk-pop energy to the BRIT Awards, creating a bespoke installation that transformed invitations and an immersive after-party, further embedding her visual language into public consciousness.
At the heart of Burman’s work lies personal history. The tiger motif, one of her most recognizable symbols, traces back to her father’s ice-cream van, which famously carried a Bengal tiger sculpture on its roof.
Burman’s work is held in major collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Council, and she has exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale. In recognition of her cultural impact, she was awarded an MBE in 2022. Looking ahead, her extraordinary body of work will be celebrated with a major retrospective when Tate Liverpool reopens in 2027, a fitting tribute to one of Britain’s most distinctive artistic voices.
Burman once summed up her perspective simply, “I am just an artist.”
Yet her work speaks far beyond those words. Through fearless imagination, radiant color, and an unwavering celebration of cultural identity, Chila Kumari Singh Burman doesn’t just expand the language of contemporary arts but illuminates it.
