Khan Shamim Akhtar
Khan Shamim Akhtar is an Indian artist based and working out of Mumbai. He was born in 1994 in Kurla right after the 1993 Bombay riots and his family was displaced to Mumbra, a suburban city 51 kms north of Bombay. He graduated with a Masters in Fine Art from the Sir JJ School of Arts, Bombay in 2024, he holds a Bachelors in painting (2022) and an Art Teachers Diploma (2016) from the same school.
He won the 'Altaf Award' for the best painting in 2024 at the Sir JJ School established in the memory of the legendary painter and activist Altaf. In 2021 he won the highly coveted award for painting as well as the 'Mayo Memorial Award 'and * Gladstone Solomon Award in 2022. He is the current holder for the Takshila Fine Arts Scholarship, 2024 granted by Arthshila.
Shamim is a painter who experiments with materiality specifically pioneering the use of oil paint on reed and sisal mats which are colloquially called chatais in India as his canvas. During his first year at the MFA he used the medium to script his distractions visually that prevented him from effectively praying. When he bowed down to pray quotidian life would distract him. The act of praying on a prayer mat is called sajjada.
His first series was on the ayats of the Quran. Since October 2023 his work has engaged the plight of women and children affected by the conflict in Palestine. His work takes on a distinct vocabulary drawn from the JJ school's distinct status as a Western Classical Academy of Painting intersecting with his interest of exploring figuration in painting within the Islamic traditions.
He is an active organiser of young artists and works with many collective groups at the college and his city - Mumbra as a response towards inclusion of marginalised groups within the Art scene. He is a member of the Secular Art Movement. His debut solo show 'Cenacle on the Sajjada' is a show in solidarity with the victims of the conflict in Palestine where he uses the lens of art history the Renaissance & experimental mediums such as reed & video to present an argument to an audience who cannot ignore the pain felt by people forgotten by media.
