Flowers of the Earth
Solo Exhibition
Rotherham Minster
Curated by Mark Devereux Projects
Commissioned by WOW Rotherham
Selected by David Sinclaire
Supported by Flux Rotherham, Rotherham Minister and Rotherham Council
Photos by Hannah Pye
Across cultures, flowers hold deep meaning. In Indian culture, garlands represent purity, devotion, and celebration, often linked to the goddess Lakshmi and the blessings of abundance. Similarly, flowers around the world are used in rituals, offerings, and ceremonies, marking love, remembrance, and renewal.
Each handmade flower in the installation represents a unique identity, memory, or story. Together, they form a collective garland, a symbol of unity through diversity. The work invites visitors to reflect on the theme The Colour of Identity, celebrating Rotherham’s vibrant communities and the shared spaces where we all grow and thrive.
Temple bells are also woven into the installation. Traditionally made from five metals symbolising earth, air, sky, water, and space, the bells’ resonant tones invite visitors into stillness and connection. As the flowers celebrate the beauty of difference, the bells echo the harmony that links us all, inviting a moment of presence, reflection, and shared belonging.
Journey of the Blue Sun
Solo Exhibition
The Old Fire Station, Oxford
Curated by Mark Devereux Projects
Photos by Hannah Pye
Swathes of colour, light and sound consume the two gallery spaces in Oxford’s Old Fire Station, as Patel presents a series of brand-new installations and sculptures inspired by her mixed cultural heritage. Representing the experiences and stories of intercultural communities across the UK, Journey of the Blue Sun is a celebration of new beginnings and significant histories.
Saroj Patel comments: “I have always been fascinated by my parents’ stories about their initial move to the UK, the experiences they had and how different life was compared to India. Like many Indians who migrated to the UK, they faced numerous challenges and difficulties. However, being a second-generation immigrant has positively impacted my life in many ways. It has given me far more choices and opportunities than I would have had if I had been born in the villages in Gujarat.”
Incorporating her signature textile artworks with brand-new forays into sound and video, Patel invites her audiences into an immersive, sensory experience. The exhibition also includes new artworks co-created with a group of women from Sunrise Multicultural Project, Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Curator, Mark Devereux added: “Journey of the Blue Sun shares an important personal story that is pertinent to so many people and communities living in the UK now. The new work Saroj has produced for this exhibition signals an exciting future for this ambitious and talented artist.”
The Wings Flutter , Grasslands are Alive
Public Art
Meadowland at Wakehurst, Sussex
Commission by RGB Kew
June-September 2024
Curated by fynn studio
Photos by Jim Holden © RBG Kew
Located in the breathtaking Bloomers Valley, rich in local wildlife species, the five large gateways form a shrine to the meadows. Taking inspiration from the grasslands across my ancestral home in Gujarat, India, and the colourful shrines carved into the foothills of the Himalayas, the 3.5m high gateways were adorned with over 700 handsewn flags, evoking the colours of butterfly and moth wings and the flowers they pollinate. Bells at each gateway signal a sense of arrival, evoking an inner peace when rung, completing the sacred place where plants, pollinators and people meet.
There will be 5 gateways represent Panch Mahabhoot: Earth (Prithvi), Air (Vayu), Space (Akash), Water (Jal), Fire (Agni). In Indian philosophy, the fundamental structural basis of all living beings (including all plants, animals and humans) are 5 elements or Panch Mahabhoot.
Each of these five elements symbolise distinct states of matter present in all living entities, highlighting the connection between the human body and the natural world around us.
Ocean Mother
Solo Exhibition
The Harris Museum, Preston
September 2025 - January 2026
Photos by Hannah Pye
Through intimate conversations with 26 South Asian mothers from the UK, artist Saroj Patel asked how histories, traditions, and culture shape their identities and discovered the active role they play in embracing and teaching their cultural heritage to their children. These extraordinary mothers break boundaries and craft new narratives for South Asian women.
This exhibition also delves into Saroj’s personal connection with her mother, Sushila, who was born and raised in Gujarat, India. Aged 19, Sushila embarked on a transformative journey, migrating to the UK and becoming a mother to three children by the time she turned 22. Saroj’s mother faced struggle, loneliness, and conflict. Yet, her stories are woven together with threads of resilience and courage. Like many women of her era, her experiences inspire the next generation to forge new opportunities and create more inclusive futures for themselves and their children. For this exhibition Sushila wrote a song ‘Ocean of Emotions’ inspired by Saroj’s conversations with the South Asian mothers.
Ocean Mother celebrates heritage and the enduring power of maternal stories. These stories resonate across generations, weaving into the fabric of our shared human experience.
A special thank you goes to all the mothers that were involved in this project; Harsha Burton, Sarita Wilkes, Shazia Shoosmith, Nita Patel, Hema Mali, Mira Morar, Smita Patel, Sajini Rowland, Hina Patel Dhanji, Malinda Kaur, Remi Rana Allen, Soorya Gadkary, Lilly Sabir, Asma Mahmud Hashmi, Francesca Hewitt, Manjula Patel, Sushila Patel, Chandrika Patel, Sofia Barton, Priya Joi, Anjali Ramachandran, Sejal Parekh, Kashmira Patel, Mita Vaghela, Jal Hilson and Hema Mistry
Journey of the Blue Sun
Solo Exhibition
The Old Fire Station, Oxford
Curated by Mark Devereux Projects
Photos by Hannah Pye
Swathes of colour, light and sound consume the two gallery spaces in Oxford’s Old Fire Station, as Patel presents a series of brand-new installations and sculptures inspired by her mixed cultural heritage. Representing the experiences and stories of intercultural communities across the UK, Journey of the Blue Sun is a celebration of new beginnings and significant histories.
Saroj Patel comments: “I have always been fascinated by my parents’ stories about their initial move to the UK, the experiences they had and how different life was compared to India. Like many Indians who migrated to the UK, they faced numerous challenges and difficulties. However, being a second-generation immigrant has positively impacted my life in many ways. It has given me far more choices and opportunities than I would have had if I had been born in the villages in Gujarat.”
Incorporating her signature textile artworks with brand-new forays into sound and video, Patel invites her audiences into an immersive, sensory experience. The exhibition also includes new artworks co-created with a group of women from Sunrise Multicultural Project, Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Curator, Mark Devereux added: “Journey of the Blue Sun shares an important personal story that is pertinent to so many people and communities living in the UK now. The new work Saroj has produced for this exhibition signals an exciting future for this ambitious and talented artist.”
Interwoven
Solo Exhibition
The Art House, Wakefield
March-April 2024
Photos by Emily Ryalls for The Art House Wakefield
These sculptures serve as both storytellers and connectors, unraveling narratives that transcend borders and bridge the gap between British and Indian roots. The integration of these two cultures becomes an artistic journey, where the artist’s identity unfolds and evolves, intricately linked to her Gujarati upbringing.
Rooted in the essence of ritualistic practices and cultural traditions, each sculpture becomes a celebration of Indian culture. Yet, within the folds of this celebration lies a nuanced exploration of the joys and challenges faced by a second-generation British-Gujarati woman.
Interwoven invites you to witness the beauty and challenges of cultural duality, where the threads of the past weave into the present, creating a visual narrative that reflects the complexities and joys of a constantly evolving identity. As you explore these sculptures, may you discover the universal threads that bind us all, weaving a narrative that speaks to the shared human experience.
The Water Carrier
Installation
Sagra Village, Gujarat, India
India 2026
The installation centres on the lota, a metal vessel found in every household in Sagra. Made from brass or mixed metals, the lota is a vital domestic object, used daily for collecting water, cooking, washing, and ritual. Its significance lies in use rather than ornament: shaped for hands, lifted, carried, and poured countless times, it becomes an extension of the women’s labour.
The women of Sagra work primarily in the fields while also sustaining their homes. Their strength is physical and enduring, formed through years of agricultural and domestic work. The lota mirrors this endurance, its metal body bearing weight and wear, carrying the marks of touch and time.
Formally, the lota holds a quiet femininity. Its rounded curves suggest softness and care, while the strength of the metal speaks to durability. As a vessel for water, it also carries associations of purity and renewal. Water is gathered, protected, and shared, a daily act of responsibility that sustains both family and community.
Through collective making, the lota becomes a gesture of recognition: reflecting the women of Sagra as carriers of knowledge and quiet power, whose labour forms the foundation of everyday life.
Shade of Two Suns
Public Art
Crossrail Place, Canary Wharf
Commission by Canary Wharf London
July - August 2025
The mural draws from the vibrant colours and intricate details I’ve encountered in Indian architecture, temples, textiles, clothing, decorative arts, motifs, and traditional paintings. The regions that have left a deep impression on my practice, Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, Ladakh, Delhi, and Maharashtra, each carry their own unique aesthetic and cultural richness, which I’ve translated into visual form.
The flags are inspired by Buddhist prayer flags, traditionally connected to peace, nature, and meditative intention. Created as a spiritual gesture, they carry the energy of reflection and quiet connection.
Together, the mural and flags speak to a duality: the meeting of two homelands, India and the UK. They represent the layered identity I carry, and the sense of belonging I continue to shape, one rooted in both heritage and personal discovery.
Genda
Genda, 2022
Steel, cotton, Indian block printed fabric, bicycle wheel, old baby clothes, acrylic mirrors and glass beads.
Photo by Sean Pollock, Canary Wharf
‘What we call the planets are no more than points of light in the vast energy network, connected intricately by the subtle lines of force, linking the entire solar system into a single organism. Though the planets appear like small points of light in the distance, their energy fields are present on Earth, and they are responsible for many of the formations of the Earth life and of our own bodies and minds.’ David Frawley from the book ‘Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic/Hindu Astrology:’
The common name for a Marigold Flower in India is called ‘Genda’ also known as the Herb of the Sun. It’s widely used for rituals, puja and ceremonies within the Indian culture. The flower holds spiritual significance and represents the Sun - brightness and positive energy.