ABOUT

I am Shumaiya Khan, (b. 1990, UK), artist and writer. Raised in Bradford, West Yorkshire in a British Bengali family, before moving to London to pursue higher education where I reside to this day. I come from a design-led background, earning my BA Hons in Design from Goldsmiths, University of London. Although I have always painted, I have only fully resumed my practice as of April 2020. I am currently studying MA Fine Art at City and Guilds London School of Art as of September 2024.

My practice hinges on themes of spirituality via Jungian psychology, ceremonies and mystiscm, lineage of power via mythical Queens & Goddesses and, initiating them into my own story. These journeys consider my past self’s journey within the spiritual realm and how an eventual descent into the underworlds has affected my everyday view of the current socio-political landscape the feminine I am finds herself in. My paintings, sculptures and film honour the wide spectrum of emotions and their subsequent actions; which include but not limited to; rage, intuition, power, devotion and/or worship, lust, peace and joy.

My works take on role of facilitator in introducing my audience to portals into the underworld, unknown and higher ascension realms. Context has since evolved further into considering Christian and Greek mythology, before venturing into current and ancient non-Judeo-Christian mythologies such as Izanami and Inanna (Ishtar). European mythologies may have influenced the society I see myself in despite the Sufi mystic faith I practice. England’s sensitivities and bias towards patriarchal gestures and suggestions on women’s autonomy surrounds me. Greek Goddesses stories guiding me in how I approach my works, the speed in which I paint, the colours, intensity of brush marks as well as the physical entanglement of salt and other minerals found within the body to curate industrious or visceral texture in an aim to ground myself back into this waking world.

I primarily use materials such as oil paint, pigment sticks, charcoal, and poetry across canvas, cotton muslin and paper. The form in which the paintings take embody something which is environmental or entity, bodily height and shaped. Increasingly, I’m playing with loose, unstretched canvas which enables the painting to form an additional persona with its audience as an object. The edges of the painting are rarely defined and often share the same floor with us humans, meaning confrontation to the painting is inevitable. My sculptures are made from challenging or poisonous materials such as lead taking the form of fruit. Thus, relaying back to fairytale, religious and political ideologies.

The physical nature of my works today come with suggested motifs across intense scenes found in the natural world, be it cosmic weather or physical fruits, forests and natural organic materials or minerals cultivated from intense natural flora and fauna. Natural migration of material in nature such as volcanoes erupting, metal heating under the earth’s core, dense forests and astronomy all plays key parts in illustrating the atmospheres I paint.

Deep colour palettes utilised, revolving around layered dark reds, blues and greens are there to build on intensity, intimidate as well as comfort the viewer into jumping into a darker space. These colours found in these compact natural spaces as aforementioned, I have for long avoided such depths of colours as they were always referred to as ‘angry girl paintings’ to disarm genuine expression which can make others feel uncomfortable. However, in today’s waking society I see that my current expression of concern, rage and action are all validated. The confidence and communication in which my works have provided me, has meant I have increasingly grown to accept my own expressive and relentless nature.

I have collectors in the States and South America to Australia.