Shine Shivan

Born in 1980, Shine Shivan developed a fondness for woods growing up in the lush landscape of his hometown of Kulananda, Kerala, where he frequently visited a nearby forest. This natural environment has been a timeless source of inspiration for him, even after his family moved to Faridabad, Haryana. His artistic practice instinctively incorporates organic materials such as deer feces, chicken heads, feathers, and raw bones. These elements feature prominently in sensual sculptural pieces like Rape of Ganymede (2009), which combines a phallic symbol with metaphors referencing the eponymous myth to evoke themes of gender binaries. An exploration of gender issues lies at the core of Shivan’s artistic engagement. This exploration is evident in his series Glimpse of Thirst (2013), where he skillfully assembles fantastical forms using clusters of maddening eyes, exposed gums and teeth, fountains of hair, and skeletal figures. These forms, often shown cross-dressing and role-playing to evade gender categorization, raise questions about the conflict-ridden roles of gender. Apart from his thought-provoking installations, Shivan is known for his unrestrained drawings, as seen in his experimental solo exhibition Language of Deceased (2015). Here, he transformed the white cube into an open studio and painted on paper and canvas for seven weeks straight. The result was dark, disquieting works—both small and monumental—that touched upon themes of the body and identity. In just over a decade, Shivan has created a highly personal artistic language to articulate his charged ideas. His exciting oeuvre, which also includes photography, video, and performance, is characterized by raw energy and dynamism, reflective of his own personality. For him, nothing is too provocative or out-of-bounds. He has extensively used taxidermy in his practice and, in his recent series Artha Yatra, introduced a new idiom in drawing by using cactus pins and natural pigments to create massive works finer than etchings. In this way, Shivan has constantly pushed the limits of visual art, creating innovative works that evoke curiosity, wonder, and above all, follow the logic of his heart. Shivan's works have been exhibited extensively across the world, including at the Tate Modern, London, UK; MOCA Taipei, Taiwan; Prague Biennale 5; and Kastrupgardsamlingen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Shivan lives and works in Faridabad.