ARTLESS: The twins and their paintings at the Watermans Art Centre, London

"Contemporary art is failing to relate to the common man. It has no personal relevance for people." Amrit Kaur

It is not just the Indian shooters who are making a mark at the Commonwealth Games 2002 in Manchester. The redoubtable twins, Amrit and Rabinder Kaur, are claiming their share of the limelight, this time with no tinge of controversy. Commissioned to do 12 paintings for the Games, the twins courted a storm of protest for their first work depicting soccer star David Beckham as the Hindu deity Shiva.

Their recent exhibition at Watermans Art Centre in London, however, evoked unmixed accolades. The paintings, which showcase their work since 1987 when they first launched as artists, includes 11 other creations the twins have produced for the Games. The Kaurs were at pains to clear the "misunderstanding" surrounding the controversial Beckham and family painting. The depiction of Beckham, wife and former Spice girl Victoria and their son Brooklyn as Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh drew a flurry of protests from some Hindu groups. "The idea was to project how football players and pop idols have achieved a god-like status. It was supposed to criticise the society that has put ordinary people on a pedestal. There was no intention to trivialise any religion," clarifies Amrit.

The Kaur sisters' works are rich in detail in the tradition of Indian miniature paintings and range from £1,000 to £40,000. Each painting takes 400 to 900 hours of synchronised work. Their themes too break away from the established norms of modern art. The sisters prefer to call their work post-modern. "Contemporary art is failing to relate to common man," says Amrit. "It is becoming more confusing to understand and in many cases has no personal relevance for people."

The twin's paintings are easy to relate to. Starting with the issue of Asian identity in Britain, they have moved on to other political issues of popular interest. So there's former US President Bill Clinton caught in a devil's frame with several heads-each with the face of evil dictators such as Hitler. "Clinton was the primary target as he was heading the US at the time," they explain. The Kaur sisters' portrait of Princess Diana was described as "rich in symbolism, poor in taste", by a critic. So the uproar over the Beckham painting was hardly surprising. But criticism has never deterred the Kaurs, who are now busy with a "Culture Shock" series for Manchester City debating the relevance of the Games. The most exciting challenge at hand is a re-interpretation of Victorian paintings for the Leeds City Gallery. "These have depicted the Indian Mutiny as a piece of propaganda. We plan to put it in perspective." As they have done to many other themes.

-Ishara Bhasi