Raqib Shaw, a Kashmiri-born London-based artist, is acclaimed for his ornate, hyper-detailed paintings that merge Persian miniatures, Japanese lacquerware, and European baroque traditions with his imaginative narratives. Working with enamel, gold, and rhinestones, he explores themes of exile, desire, violence, and control—placing beauty and brutality within the same intricate frame. Using a porcupine quill and metal nib, Shaw transforms trauma into opulent visual worlds that demand close viewing. His art turns fantasy into a potent confrontation with identity, history, and protest.