About
Shiffali Wadhawan is a Delhi-based artist who has been creating art for more than a decade. Her works have been on show in many national, international exhibitions, and are represented in many prestigious private collections.
A self taught artist, with skills honed over years of extensive and diverse studio practice, Shiffali now paints seven days a week, simply creates from her heart and is adept at observing formal rules and breaking them for a reason.
Her art tells an uplifting story, but at the same time it subtly explores the preconditioned phycology of human society, it’s underbelly and impact on the natural world. She juxtaposes realism with unlikely backgrounds and metaphorical symbolism. It’s a parable filled with symbolic expression, nothing is as simple as it seems. The cinematic staging, the objects portrayed in meticulous, almost painfully realistic detail in surprising unexpected ways not only evoke mystery but challenge perception. It instigates an intimate dialogue, wherein the viewer can reflect and have a pure emotional reaction.
Studio Practice
I am a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist based in New Delhi, with roots in Allahabad. My work is driven by a deep connection to the natural world, especially animals, who often appear as symbolic protagonists in my visual narratives. This bond—most personally embodied in my relationship with my horse, Quintino—inspires my exploration of the subconscious, transformation, and the search for authenticity.
Working primarily in oils and acrylics on linen, I build my pieces through thin layers and glazes, using detail and texture to create a cinematic quality. My approach blends imaginative realism with metaphorical symbolism, merging wildlife and everyday objects into surreal compositions. These juxtapositions are designed to blur the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary, challenging conventional perceptions and inviting introspection.
My art is rooted in an ongoing inquiry into human psychology and social conditioning. I’m fascinated by the conformist nature of society and the quiet resistance that takes place within personal evolution. Through surrealist undertones and unexpected settings, I aim to create a space for viewers to pause, reflect, and reconsider the constructs that shape their realities.
Beyond painting, I extend my practice into sculpture and conceptual art, working with materials like fibreglass and bronze to express the poetic undercurrents of my visual language. Whether through canvas or form, my work is an invitation to enter a dreamlike realm—one where the familiar is reimagined, transformation is embraced, and the mystical possibilities of self-exploration unfold.
Exhibitions
Group Shows
2025: Contemporary Signatures 4.0, Pune, Curator’s Art
2025: India Design ID, New Delhi, by Masha Art
2024: Art Caravan, KHUSHII Fund Raiser, Hyderabad
2023: KHUSHII Fund Raiser, New Delhi
2023: The Equal Project, Fundraiser for Jai Vakeel Foundation, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2022: India Art Fair, New Delhi, Gallery Veda
2022: India Art Festival, New Delhi, Curators Art
2020: What is your story, Gallery Art Positive, New Delhi
2020: India Art Fair, Gallery Veda
2020: Within Reach, Gallerie Nvya
2020: Art Femme, Gallerie Nvya
2020: Nature, Gallery Veda
2020: Madras Art Guild, Gallery Veda
2020: Online Auction, Art District 13
2020: Khushii art action in association with Sotheby’s
2019: Fundraiser for Jai Vakeel Foundation, Tao Art Gallery
2019: Signatures, The Art House, Singapore
2019: India Art Fair, Gallery Veda
2019: Within Reach, Gallerie Nvya
2019: Khushii Art Show, Hyderabad
2018: Exhibition with Khushii NGO
2018: ‘Within Reach’ by Gallerie Nvya, Delhi
2018: HT Imagine Festival in Delhi, with Gallerie Nvya
2018: ‘Nocorners’ 18th anniversary shows of Tao Art gallery, Mumbai
2018:Annual art exhibition of Art Society of India, at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
2017: Busan International artfair,Gallery Beyond, Mumbai
2017: ‘Indian Contemporaries’, as how of Indian contemporary artists at Indian habitat centre, (previously exhibited at Art Russia)
2017: Unconceptual by Gallerie Nvya, Delhi
2017: ‘Indian Contemporaries’, at Art Russia 2017 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
2017: Kala Spandan, Mumbaiby Gallery Uchaan
2017: Artistagram, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2017: Spring, Egg Art Gallery, Delhi
2016: Satin, Egg Art Gallery, Delhi
2016: Lands Within, Egg Art Gallery,Delhi
2012: Epicentre, Gurgaon
2005: Being and belonging, Arpana Art Gallery
Two Woman Show
2018: Destiny; Sold Out, Curated by Georgina Maddox at Visual Arts Gallery, New Delhi
Solo Shows
2024: Portal's of Possibilities: Chasing Dreams, curated by Priya Pall, Gallerie Nvya, New Delhi
2004: Kaya, Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi
2001: Feminine Age, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi