Major new Permindar Kaur exhibition to open at Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Major new show features striking copper sculptures alongside work created with Wolverhampton communities
A major new exhibition by British artist Permindar Kaur is set to open at Wolverhampton Art Gallery this autumn.
Dread Naught, opening on October 24, will be Kaur's largest exhibition of new work to date, featuring monumental copper figures alongside selected sculptures from her early career in the 1990s.
The free exhibition includes Copper Giants, a series of larger-than-life monstrous figures formed from copper rod, and Melancholy, featuring 100 smaller copper wire figures mounted on the wall as an expansive frieze.
Kaur, who is of Punjabi Sikh heritage, explores themes including protection and justice in much of her work.
Her early sculpture Innocence, created in 1993 and now part of the Arts Council Collection, has been remade as Innocence II (2026), creating a dialogue between her early work and the new commissions.
Other works include Night Dress (1995) and Chainmail Dress (1996), which explore themes of protection, danger and security.
The exhibition will also feature Market Stall, a community installation created with three local artists and Wolverhampton community groups.
Kanj Nicholas, India Birtwistle and Roo Dhissou are working with the Wolverhampton Sikh & Punjabi Women's Group, Wolverhampton Girl Guides and Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary respectively.
The groups have reflected on the things that connect people as inspiration for their work, with the resulting pieces displayed as market stalls within the gallery as a symbol of collective memory.
The stalls will be backed by Kaur's Teddy Bear Wallpaper (2026), which visitors will be invited to colour in.
Kaur came to prominence in the 1990s and was loosely associated with the Young British Artists and Black British Art Movement. She later stepped away from the art world while raising her family before returning to making art.
Her recent solo exhibitions include Nothing is Fixed at John Hansard Gallery in 2024 and Mirror, Mirror at Pitzhager Manor and Gallery in 2025.
Her work Overgrown House is currently on display as part of Sculpture in the Park at Compton Verney in Warwickshire.
Councillor Stephen Simkins, City of Wolverhampton Council leader, said the exhibition would give local people the chance to contribute and see their stories reflected in the gallery.
He said: "We are delighted to welcome British artist Permindar Kaur's largest exhibition of new work to Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
"The exhibition creates opportunities for local people to contribute and see their own stories reflected through the addition of the community-led Market Stall installation."
Dread Naught opens on October 24 and entry is free.
A series of free events are also planned, including an artist talk in November and a study day in February 2027.