Born in New Delhi, India. I completed Bachelor of Fine Art (painting) from College of Art, New Delhi in 1996 and M.A (cert.) painting from Wimbledon School of Art, London, UK in 2003 supported by the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship.

I have had two solo exhibitions in Wimbledon School of Art, London, UK in 2003 and at Gallery Rohtas II, in Lahore, Pakistan in 2006. My work has been on display at the British Council New Delhi in 2004.

My awards include Garhi Grant, By the Lalit Kala Akademy, in 2004, Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship in 2003, Graphic scholarship at the Kanoria Centre For Arts, Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 1997.

I have been part of an International Workshop & Artists Residency PARTAGE in 2004 Mauritius.

My work has been part of many group shows both in India and abroad including Lionel Wendt gallery Sri Lanka in 2003, Galleria Borowski, Cologne, Germany, PARTAGE Flic en Flac, Mauritius in 2004 & Ways of Seeing by gallery Art Alive at Visual Arts Gallery India Habitat Centre in 2005, curated by Ms. Sushma Bahl.

My works have been part of the National Exhibition of Art, by Lalit Kala Akademy in 2003 & 2004.

My works are in many private collections both in India and abroad.

My works have been published in various magazines, newspapers & have been used for book covers by Oxford University Press.

I also have been teaching art as a visiting faculty with a few Art & Design institutes as well as schools in New Delhi.

Presently working on a project NOMADIC DRESSES with 5 international artists to be exhibited in Halifax, Canada.

I am presently working from the painting studios at the Lalit kala Akademy, Garhi Artists Village, in New Delhi.

Under this mask another mask, I will never finish removing these faces-Claude Cahun

My art practice primarily started with the concept of layering where I believed that our minds are layered with social , cultural and gender beliefs . We almost wear these beliefs like clothes in order to attain the typecaste of a successful social being.

Our clothes take on an expression of the social , cultural, gender and economic structure that we attain.

I have been using elements of clothes, and their making in my imagery, by using photography and paint along with stitching with the needle itself.

Can there be thought or action outside the structures that we live in?

My work attempts to express as well as question this.

Shivani Aggarwal