Raqib Shaw BA and MA Fine Art, Gentle Lunatic, oil, acrylic, enamel and glitter on board, 2001
Intricacy and opulence combine in Shaw’s work. With a diasporic sense, he merges stories, symbols and techniques from across world history into singular images. A magpie of material and technique, he uses oils, industrial paint and glitter as well as working enamel with porcupine quills to bring a jewel-like quality to his pieces.
“When Japanese people look at my work they think it’s Japanese, when Indian people look at my work they see it as Indian. At the end of the day, what is happening here is a very mediocre example of what is to follow as the world gets smaller and people come closer. There are going to be artists who are assimilating all the cultures, hopping from one content to another.”
Raqib Shaw