Deshna Shah
Deshna Shah is a researcher, educator and artist exploring history, philosophy, and science as frameworks for understanding perception, consciousness, and identity. Interested by the overlaps between Jain philosophy and quantum physics, her work investigates unseen forces shaping human experience. She employs interactive mediums - sound, game, film, installation, and painting - often using her Twilight Language, a cryptographic script reflecting her multilingual and dyslexic experiences to share unspoken texts. Recently, she has explored frequency as a non-verbal form of communication, bridging scientific inquiry with artistic expression. Through immersive storytelling, Shah invites audiences to question reality, observation, and the structures that shape our existence.
Education:
2024-2025 University of Oxford, Ruskin School of Art, MFA Fine Art (Plachte Award Winner)
2022-2023 Princeton University, William Alexander Fleet Fellow (Art History, Criticism, and Conservation)
2017-2021 University of Oxford, Ruskin School of Art, BFA Fine Art, First Class Honours Emery Prize Winner
Exhibition:
04/2026 (Solo) Nature Morte, New Delhi, India
02/2026 TAF Art Booth, India Art Fair, New Delhi, India
07/2025 Mfa Degree Show, Ruskin School Of Art, University Of Oxford
06/2025 (Solo) Reuben College, Oxford (Activated By String Quartet Oxus)
05/2025 Film Festival, Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
05/2025 Group, Dolphin Gallery, Oxford
05/2025 Thank You For Being A Friend , Silian Gallery, London
05/2025 Art Film & Music, Jdp Music Building, Oxford
05/2025 I Find Myself X EMPRES , Modern Art Oxford
04/2025 The Impact Of Capitalist Soundscapes , Somerset House, London
12/2024 My Art Beats For You, 128 Bullingdon, Oxford
11/2024 Sound And Vision, Elevator Studios , Liverpool
10/2024 Threads, Hilton House, Manchester
03/2024 The Manchester Open, Home Gallery, Manchester - Manchester Open 2024 Award Nominee
07/2022 My East is Your West, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
05/2022 Intersections, Paradise Works, Manchester
03/2022 (solo) Kahani, Pembroke Gallery Oxford - Emery Prize Winner
11/2021 Open Studios, Paradise Works, Manchester
09/2021 Sign, Symbol, Sound, Modern Art Oxford
06/2019 Magdalen Art Show, Magdalen College, Oxford (Curated Show)
07/2016 We Are Making, Manchester Art Gallery
02/2016 What Is The Future Of Art? Tate Modern, Opening Weekend Exhibition
Founder: UK South asian creatives network
Lectures, Talks, Workshops and Panel Discussions:
11/2024 Embodied Experiences, The Activation Of Objects And Spaces: Dialogues With Lygia Clark, University Of Oxford
11/2024 Fortune Teller Origami Workshop, Ovada Studios, Westgate Shopping Centre
05/2024 Love*Work*Dandiya Workshop, Jain Samaj X Home Theatre, Manchester
08/2023 Arts, Poetry & Ecology Talk And Workshop, Manchester Museum
04/2023 Talk And Workshop, Princeton University, New Jersey, Usa
07/2022 Artist Talk, My East Is Your West, Victoria And Albert Museum, London
03/2022 Artist Talk, Pembroke Art Gallery, Oxford
11/2021 Artist Talk, Paradise Work, Manchester
03/2019 Workshop Series, Saatchi Art Gallery, London
08/2018 Partition Commemoration Collage Workshop, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Artist Residencies and Group Projects:
03/2024 Jugendfilmtage, Film Festival, Zurich, Switzerland
01/2024 Push Lab Project, Home Theatre, Manchester
07/2021 Artist In Residence, Paradise Works, Manchester
08/2019 Evaluator And Youth Engagement Officer, ‘Our Shared Cultural Heritage’, British Council
08/2019 Project Evaluator, Our Museum Our Voices, Ashmolean Museum
Publications, Articles and Interviews:
- Taylor, R. (2022) Deshna Shah: Kahani, Tundra.
https://www.tundraexhibitions.com/deshna-shah-kahani
- Kaur, H. A modest show: ‘Intersections’ / Triple decker at Paradise Works, A Modest Show: ‘Intersections’ / Triple Decker at Paradise Works
- Deshna Shah Interview, Talat-Farooq Awan (2022) BBC Radio, Indus.
