My Body is a Temple of Gloom (2021) questions the commodification of Indigenous spiritual traditions, such as yoga and meditation, through today’s mainstream lifestyle marketing and global wellness cultures. A large wallpaper sourced from a found image displays the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, a historically significant site that is now a popular yoga destination. The projection onto translucent curtains ruptures an otherwise meditative environment: it includes footage of the Kundalini yogi, Swami Dev Murti, and archival film of people practicing yoga, emphasising the contrast between source and overlay. Referencing Sara Ahmed’s theory of the ‘happy object’ in its proximity to whiteness, the work critiques the self-care industry’s tendency to exploit and profit from spiritual and knowledge-based practices from Indigenous communities. For the artist, this tendency resembles a form of cultural colonialism that destroys the original significance of these holistic practices and exacerbates inequities through its investment in the politics of representation.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Jasleen Kaur (b. 1986, Glasgow) lives and works in London. Her work explores cultural memory and political belonging, examining social and personal histories to question how the narratives we inherit circulate and shape us. The artist’s solo exhibitions include Alter Altar, Tramway, Glasgow (2023); Flesh ‘n’ Blood, Humber Street Gallery, Hull (2021); Gut Feelings Meri Jaan, Touchstones Rochdale (2021). Group exhibitions include Lives Less Ordinary, Two Temple Place, London (2025); Turner Prize 2024, Tate Britain, London (2024); CLASSifications, Aspex Portsmouth (2024).
EXHIBITED WORKS
Jasleen Kaur (b. 1986)
My Body is a Temple of Gloom, 2021
Variable materials
Variable dimensions
Commissioned by Wellcome Collection
Courtesy of the artist and Hollybush Gardens
