Shakti

Sajid Wajid Sheikh is a self-taught illustrator, visual artist and graphic designer based in Mumbai, India. Initially working with advertising firms, Sajid began exploring shape and colour to produce bespoke illustrations. Almost obscure and bold and sometimes dark and disturbing, these illustrations take the viewer into the surreal depths of the human psyche. Moreover, the artist takes extensive inspiration from music, new media and performance to create new ways of illustrating his thoughts.

Over the years, he has adapted his work into patterns, portraiture and typographic artworks to introduce fresher ways of approaching contemporary graphic design. He has worked with brands like Redbull, Kuture Shop, and Pepsi. Amongst his numerous creative collaborations, he painted India’s first Hype Court in Mumbai in 2018 with the St+art India Foundation.

Sajid Wajid Sheikh and his team - Rajesh Bhadhreshwara and Mahesh Kamble - painted an ode to womanhood for the Lodhi Art District. The artist sapiently contemporised the Art Nouveau style, elegant and feminine, developing a piece with women's portraits intertwined with natural elements. Women are seen as creators of life and likened to Mother Nature herself. The primary colours and their diffused shading gave the composition an enchanting flow in which every shape stands out with strength and elegance.

The decision to locate this piece in front of N.P.CO-ED Senior Secondary School was a strategic one with the aim that women who wait for their children to come out of the school identify themselves within the mural, seeing themselves and their kids intertwined in this celebration of colours and diverse identities, and also spreading a positive message to the young students.