TO BE SOMETHING MORE
Kelowna Art Gallery | Kelowna, British Columbia | Aug. 22, 2025 - Feb. 1, 2026
Sandeep Johal is Kelowna-born artist whose work is rooted in storytelling that centers women’s lives and experiences, in which courage and oppression are often cast - and recast - opposite one another in a seemingly eternal battle. This latest series, To be something more, is a homecoming for Johal, where her own past and present meet, and this exhibition marks the first time the Kelowna Art Gallery is presenting a major solo-exhibition by a South Asian artist.
At its core, To be something more is a meditation on freedom, where pieces of Johal’s past works reappear as ghostly reminders that women’s liberation remains elusive in the present. The series offers a reimagining of the tale of Sohni Mahiwal, a timeless romance from Punjab woven deeply into the region’s cultural fabric, yet universally relevant centuries on, when women are still routinely subjugated, surveilled, and sacrificed in the name of honour.
Text by Natalie Johal
Photo credit: Andreas Rutkauskas
According to the folktale, Sohni, the daughter of a potter, falls in love with a traveller named Mahiwal but is married to someone else against her will. Yet every night, she swims across the Chenab River clutching an earthenware pot to stay afloat, kicking against the unrelenting current of convention, to where Mahiwal waits for her by moonlight. One night, Sohni’s sister-in-law discovers her secret and replaces her pot with one made of unbaked clay. When Sohni steps into the river the next night, the vessel dissolves, her lifeline is severed, and she drowns. Her sister-in-law’s act of sabotage symbolizes the insidious presence of internalized misogyny that too often turns women into adversaries, and the tragic interplay reflects the multifaceted barriers women face in pursuit of freedom, even within their own communities.
In studying the story, Johal found herself intrigued not only by the drama inherent in the narrative but also by the cultural paradoxes it unveils. Why, she wondered, were depictions of Sohni Mahiwal - a tale so openly sensual - prominently displayed in traditional Indian households? Why do narratives of forbidden love endure even when they represent dereliction of duty? Were duty-bound housewives recognizing themselves in Sohni and committing their own quiet acts of rebellion by hanging her image on their walls? Were women signalling solidarity with one another through Sohni, seeing each other instead of surveilling?
These questions led Johal to envision an alternate conclusion for Sohni, one where she triumphs over the forces seeking to confine her and is rewritten as the hero of her own story. Thus, throughout the series, Sohni undergoes a metamorphosis - shedding her skin, and with it, the unbearably heavy burden of womanhood shouldered in her earlier life - to be born anew from the serpentine river that once swallowed her whole. In doing so, her form takes on a monstrous quality, and as she claws her way to freedom, the more unsightly she becomes in the eyes of her oppressors. This transformation allows her to unshackle herself from the grip of their gaze to pursue her dreams and desires, emancipated at last. To be something more ultimately becomes its own vessel for exploring defiance, transformation, and the pursuit of self-determined truth.
The influences for this work include mediums and styles that have historically been considered “low brow” or craft, yet are now gaining recognition in contemporary circles. The vibrant hues and intricate patterns of Indian folk art, particularly Madhubani, alongside the raw energy of street art and the tactile charm of textiles, serve as the cornerstone of this project. Again juxtaposing past with present, Johal’s bold and graphic aesthetic remains vividly apparent, like a techno drumbeat layered against the backdrop of a classical symphony.
Johal also embraces trial and error, wading through the unknown, beyond painting, to explore new materiality, texture, dimension, and depth by combining textiles, embroidery, and painted cutouts to create layered visual narratives. Working with craft paper, raw canvas, and fabric, every element was hand-sewn and embroidered by the artist in a labor-intensive process mirroring the arduous struggle for freedom itself.
Through this project, Johal aims to reframe Sohni’s story as a symbol of resilience and resistance, and to celebrate the untamed will of women who dare to challenge the status quo. Each stitch, each cutout, and each bold stroke stands as a testament to the enduring fight for autonomy, agency, and the right to love and live freely.
