Nida Shah ^{Emerging artist}

Artist's country of origin: Lithuania

I am an artist based in Lithuania who has recently graduated from the Graphic Art and Printmaking program at Vilnius Art Academy. I have had the opportunity to showcase my final Bachelor’s project at the Vilnius Graphic Art Centre (“Left – Right”) gallery in Vilnius. I have also been a part of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive programme (BIP) “Kraštai, pakraščiai. Jungtys” (eng. “Edges (Regions). Connections”), by the Graphic Art Department of Vilnius Academy of Arts at Nida Art Colony in 2024. My work is based on authentic experiences, which I express through my unique drawing style, which was formed a few years back during the time I was suffering from anorexia. This period of time shaped me as an artist due to the changes in visual perception I experienced at that time. My final work has touched on that topic since my current focus is identity, or, more specifically, fragmented identity. I consider my identity to be fragmented due to my upbringing. I recognise four cultures within myself. These are: Lithuanian (my mother is Lithuanian), Pakistani (my father was Pakistani), British (I grew up in the United Kingdom) and indian (I lived in foster care of an indian household for a couple years). In my final work, I mostly talk about being a part of and in between these different cultures, in addition to human connection, personal style, and what that entails. My drawing style coincides with this topic, since the first word that comes to mind to describe it would be “fragmented”. Please visit my portfolio website in order to learn more if interested through this link: nidashah.lt.

I intend to continue to explore the topic of identity through subjective lens since I realise it’s importance in these current times due to people constantly moving abroad and intermingling with eachother.