Raqib Shaw: Night Sonnets

Step into the fantastical and meticulously crafted world of Raqib Shaw. About Raqib Shaw’s paintings are defined by an innovative and distinctive technique of drawing enamel with porcupine quills, through which he constructs intricately layered compositions that move between meditative calm and dynamic intensity. They engage in dialogue with both personal experience and broader cultural discourse, drawing on a wide spectrum of influences that include Renaissance painting, Japanese aesthetics, Persian, Mughal and Hindu art forms, Western literature, and Jungian philosophy. Employing metaphor and satire, Shaw’s paintings address the complexities of contemporary existence and the enduring questions of the human condition. The exhibition will include many works which have not been exhibited in this country before, including The Retrospective 2002-2022 (2015-22). Drawing on Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome (1757) by Italian artist Giovanni Paolo Panini, this work includes miniature representations of over 50 of Shaw’s paintings and sculptures rendered in meticulous detail. Inspired by myriad sources his richly layered works are also highly personal, bringing in elements from his studio in Peckham and the landscape of his childhood home in Kashmir, often featuring self-portraits and depictions of his beloved pet dogs (a late wire-haired dachshund, called Minty and Mr C, a Jack Russell terrier). The exhibition includes a display dedicated to Shaw’s unique method for creating his paintings, where enamel and industrial metallic paints are manipulated with a porcupine quill to fashion sharp details and rich surface textures of rocks, coral, foliage, feathers and flowers. Read more Toggle Painting