Catalogue / Shakibul Islam
Shakibul Islam
Peacock in the garden
One white tail, falling like water toward its own pond
White feathers pour over warm stone like milk from a tipped jug.
Pink roses crowd the urns, heavy as wet cloth.
Across the lawn another bird opens a white fan.
The pond takes the fan and turns it upside down.
Under the trees the light is green and slow.
No one hurries in this garden. Even the tail takes its time.
The work
Shakibul Islam paints Peacock in the garden in oil on canvas. A white peacock stands on a low stone wall. Its long tail falls in soft white strokes almost to the water. Behind it, a second white peacock opens its fan on the grass. The pond holds its reflection. Pink roses spill from stone urns. A pavilion with a rose-coloured dome stands among the trees. Islam is a painter from Kolkata. He works mostly in oil, acrylic and gouache. He trained at Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai.
- Theme
- Stillness in a garden
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 45.72 × 30.48 cm
- Year
- 2025
- Edition
- 1
- Framed
- No
- About the artist
- Sir J. J. School of Art, Architecture and Design, Mumbai
- From
- Mumbai
- Code
- RC-653
- @realshakibulislam
In the artist’s words
My practice operates at the intersection of identity formation, corporeality, and sociocultural regulation, with a sustained focus on queerness as both lived experience and critical framework. I grew up within patriarchal and homophobic environments, where I observed how queer bodies are celebrated in ritual yet ridiculed in daily life. These early experiences of bullying, exclusion, and performative inclusion continue to inform my work. My first painting on LGBTQIA+ identity was made during my BFA, responding to a mythological assignment through the story of Swami Ayyappa and queer adoption rights in the Indian Constitution. Since then, my work has expanded to address personal experience, rights, intimacy, and the social position of…
Meet the artist
