Sanchita Islam

Sanchita Islam (28 April 1973 – 3 July 2023) was an English artist, painter, writer and filmmaker of Bangladeshi descent. In 1999, she founded Pigment Explosion, which has branched out into projects including film, painting, drawing, writing and photography.

Early life Islam was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England to Bangladeshi parents. Islam's father died when she was eight months old, at the time her mother was in her mid 20s with three children under the age of four. Islam and her sisters were brought up by their mother and step-father. Her mother was a social worker in Manchester and Oldham.

From 1977 to 1984, Islam attended Amberleigh Preparatory School. From 1984 to 1991, she attended Chorlton Convent High School for Girls. In June 1991, she completed A-levels in Art, English Literature, History at Loreto College in Manchester. In June 1992, she completed an Art foundation diploma at Manchester Metropolitan University.

In September 1996, Islam graduated from the London School of Economics, University of London with a BSc in International History and a MSc in Comparative Politics. She then enrolled for BA in Fine Art Practice and Theory of Visual Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design and dropped out in her second year.

Career From 1996 to 1998, Islam had a short career working as researcher in television for London Weekend Television.

People came to the gallery and were more interested in watching Islam paint, which urged Islam to combine live painting, live visuals and live music. In January 1999, Pigment Explosion was initially set up to perform live art events, Since 1999, Pigment Explosion has branched out into projects that include film, painting, drawing, writing and photography. as well as readings tours with writers like Irvine Welsh and Miranda Sawyer. She has worked with the British Council, on projects with the elderly, workshops in schools and with disadvantaged children.

In 2010, the UK Film Council commissioned Islam's animated film The White Wall. In 2010 and 2011 the theatre group Estaca Zero Teatro in Portugal performed two of Islam's plays, The Suitcase and Hello.

In March 2013, she had a mid-career retrospective at Rich Mix. KAOS (TrActor's sister organisation) awarded her a grant to complete the second scroll project with patients suffering from mental health problems in Brussels 2014. Rich Mix has invited Pigment Explosion again to exhibit this second scroll and write/perform a play about art, madness and disability, the show is scheduled in June 2015. In March of the same year, she was interviewed by Nadia Ali on BBC Asian Network about her exhibition The Rebel Within.

In January 2015, Muswell Hill Press published her new book, written under the pseudonym Q.S Lam, Schizophrenics Can Be Good Mothers Too. In June 2015, the book was launched in London at Shoreditch House and Rich Mix.

Personal life At one stage Islam lived and worked in East London,

Sanchita Islam died in Manchester on 3 July 2023, aged 50.

Books Year Title Funding Publisher Notes 2002 From Briarwood to Barisal to Brick Lane Arts Council, British Council Collaborative work 2004 Old Meets Young 2005 Hidden Arts Council, British Council, Tower Hamlets Council 2007 Avenues Arts Council, BBC, Pigment Explosion Chipmunka Publishing Connecting Kids Cloud Catcher 2008 Eternal Pollution of a Dented Mind Chipmunka Publishing Collection of poems Gungi Blues Novel 2015 Schizophrenics Can Be Good Mothers Too Muswell Hill Press Published under the pseudonym Q S Lam 2017 Dented Chipmunka Publishing Collection of poems

Filmography Year Title Credit Note(s) 2010 Magic Hour 2 Director, writer 2011 White Wall Director