About Raqib Shaw
Born in 1974 in Calcutta and raised mostly in Kashmir, Raqib Shaw is a London-based artist. He received his BA with honors in fine art and his MA in fine art from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. He is renowned for his opulent, jewel-like paintings and sculptures. Shaw’s upbringing in a family of merchants surrounded by antiques, textiles, and jewels greatly influenced his distinctive visual language. His work draws on a vast range of influences, including Persian carpets, Renaissance art, Japanese lacquerware, and mythology from both Eastern and Western traditions. His highly detailed, fantastical worlds often feature mythical creatures, warriors, and sensual scenes, blending beauty with violence and decadence. His meticulous technique, which recalls the ancient art of cloisonné, involves the use of vibrant enamels, rhinestones, and glitter to create surfaces that shimmer with intricate patterns and vivid colors.
Shaw has participated in both solo and group exhibitions worldwide. His work is held in numerous public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate Britain, London; Queensland Art Gallery, Australia; and Amore Pacific Museum of Art, Korea. His first traveling retrospective, Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West, continues to tour internationally. He lives and works in London.
Artists in Conversation
Join us for lively and inspiring conversations with some of today’s most notable artists. “Artists in Conversation” brings together curators and artists to discuss artistic practices and insights into their work.
This program is presented through the generosity of the Terry F. Green 1969 Fund for British Art and Culture.
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Top image
Raqib Shaw, photo by Joseph Sinclair
