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Prina Shah Morton Fine Art

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 16 Aug 2024

Prina Shah (b. 1973, Kenya) is a contemporary artist currently living in Nairobi, Kenya. Born in Kenya to Indian parents, Shah also grew up partially in the U.K.; her artistic work embraces the indeterminacy of her national identity, including a fascination with the formation of selfhood as it relates to a specific cultural context. In a creative practice spanning mixed media – including sculpture, painting, and glasswork – Shah’s art challenges the notions of individualized identity within a communal whole. Shah uses meditation as the impetus and foundation of her work, drawing the viewer into a personal narrative and inviting the participant to share in her visual journey of interconnection as she explores what it means to be one among many. Shah’s work has been included in numerous national and international exhibitions and has been acquired by the permanent collections of Finland’s Poikilo Kouvola Art Museum and the I&M Bank Collective in Kenya, as well as numerous private collections. My exploration of the effects of political, social and economic instability on one’s personal identity began in childhood, with the attempted coup that rattled Kenya in 1982. Leaving the country to seek refuge resulted in a separation from my family, and began my journey of self-exploring and spiritual investigation. A deep curiosity led me to explore the possibilities for human evolution and consciousness- a cycle that we are ignorant of, yet that influences both our internal and external surroundings. Drawing inspiration from my Indian heritage of the bindi, I use the circle as the all- perceiving eye, excavating the “dent” from the “Identity” and focus on the I as an infinite entity where all experiences occur and recur. I utilize meditation as a tool and space for this exploration. A space where I can bring together the forces of the mind, body, and spirit energy. My art serves as the documentation of this internal transformation process, with a vision to enhance human consciousness through changing perspectives. The influence of being raised across cultures is reflected by the way I experiment with the media. The materials I use depends entirely on the work that I am exploring at that moment. It is the creative process itself that challenges me; by delving into deeper levels of consciousness, I am able to discover myself, heal, transform and evolve. Through this exploratory unraveling, I invite the audience to consider the way they perceive their own environment (both internal and external), and ponder the possibilities of spaces that can be created through those musings. - Prina Shah