Raqib Shaw’s 100-foot-wide autobiographical painting traces the journey of exile and self-discovery – Huge

In 1999, Raqib Shaw began to work hard to explore the loss and beautiful paintings that would become an autobiography. He recently fled his hometown of Kashmir to New Delhi and later London, where he attended Central St. Martins. The political unrest triggered his departure and permanent exile, an unstable event that made him eager to go home and required a brave act of self-registration.

The epic poem “Losing Heaven”, as epic as the 17th century poem, is the climax of these experiences. The huge work consists of 21 panels 100 feet wide, from childhood to 2015, which are four chapters of the artist’s life. Although Xiao first began to think about the painting in 1999, he did not start to work seriously until 2009. Today, all of the allegorical works at the Chicago Academy of Art are viewing for the first time.

In an article about the work, Xiao describes metaphor as the core of the narrative of painting. “In Kashmir, metaphor is inherent in the way people speak and think,” he said. “Metaphor, not directness, conveys meaning with the highest precision and depth.”

The painting starts on the left, and the sitting figure how to call on the moon. Set in the Kracombe Mountains of Shaw’s youth, the scene reflects the innocence, loneliness and inner peace that the artist is associated with childhood. Moving to the right reveals a bird released from the cage, a figure surrounded by a ferocious snake, and finally a cottage without all the luxury. The subject of this robe wearing is the artist’s self-portrait, his beloved dog, although he points out that he thinks the painting is more common, written:

This is a story about many paradises that we inevitably lose in our lives: paradise of childhood, innocence, excitement and expectation, novel paradise. We lose the sense of belonging and calmness that arises from lack of anxiety. Although these losses are profoundly personal, they are certainly universal. We all suffer such losses when we run through life and build our inner world.

To create dazzling scenes with great accuracy, Shaw uses syringes and porcupine quills to apply enamel paint commonly used in the automotive industry. The acrylic lining on the Gesso creates “the gold thread is almost like the leading edge of a stained glass window” and the inlay of stone and other small materials adds a glittering depth.

Although “Losing Heaven” involves heavy themes of displacement and sadness, Xiao shares that beauty is at its heart. “It is not a beautiful ornament, but a necessary one. I am convinced that art has the ability to transform sadness into meaning, and it has this excellent quality that can exchange personal pain for something that glows and lasts.”

“Lost Paradise” will last until January 19, 2026. Find more from his website and on Instagram.