Wolverhampton Art Gallery is to host a major exhibition by British artist Permindar Kaur this autumn.

Dread Naught, opening 24 October 2026, is Kaur’s largest show of new work to date, and features newly commissioned monumental figures formed from copper, as well as sculptural work from her early career in the 1990s.

Celebrated for her striking use of domestic and toylike forms, Kaur came to prominence in the 1990s through exhibitions including British Art Show 4 (1995), Cold Comfort 1 and Cold Comfort 2 (Ikon Gallery and Mead Gallery, 1996) and Tate’s At Home with Art (1999), as well as international showings in Japan, Australia and the USA. At that time Permindar was loosely associated with both the YBA and Black British Art Movement, and was unusual as a Sikh woman engaged in contemporary visual art and sculpture.

After several years away from the art world raising her family, Permindar returned to making and has enjoyed recent solo exhibitions Nothing is Fixed (John Hansard Gallery, 2024) and Mirror, Mirror(Pitzhager Manor and Gallery, 2025). Her work Overgrown House currently features in Sculpture in the Park at Compton Verney, Warwickshire.

This exhibition places the new series of commissioned copper sculptures alongside several works from Permindar’s earlier career, some rarely exhibited. These new works, Copper Giants (2026), are larger-than-life monstrous figures that appear to be drawn from copper rod. They mark a new sculptural language for Kaur, deliberately revealing imperfections which the act of welding copper produces. In Melancholy (2026), a series of 100 smaller copper wire figures are mounted to the wall, forming an expansive frieze. The figures exist as ambiguous presences – are they soldiers? Robots? Civilians? Monsters? Each viewer can take their own meaning.

As a Punjabi Sikh, many of Kaur’s works touch on the themes of protection and justice inherent within the Sikh faith. Her early work Innocence (1993), which is now part of the Arts Council Collection, is being remade as Innocence II (2026), and provides a dialogue between Kaur’s early artistic output and the new commissions. It shows a child’s dress complete with kirpan, a small ceremonial dagger, one of the five physical symbols of faith worn by Sikhs. Night Dress (1995) and Chainmail Dress (1996) continue the theme of protection, danger and security.

In addition, Kaur has invited three local artists to co-create artworks with Wolverhampton community groups for an installation entitled Market Stall. Kanj Nicholas, India Birtwistle and Roo Dhissou are working with Wolverhampton Sikh & Punjabi Women’s Group, Wolverhampton Virtual School and Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary respectively. These works will be displayed in market stalls within the gallery, and act as a symbol for collective memory, something that we all know and recognise, across cultures. The market stalls will be backed with Teddy Bear Wallpaper (2026), created by Kaur, for visitors to colour in.

A series of complimentary events are planned, including an artist talk in November 2026 and Study Day in February 2027. Entry is free. More information at wolverhamptonart.org.uk