Radhika Khimji

Radhika Khimji, born in 1979 in Muscat, Oman, received her education from the Slade School of Fine Art, the Royal College of Art, and a master's degree in Art History from University College London. Her art pieces, including collages, sculptures, and installations, are centered around two main themes: the persistence of Orientalism and the artist's own quest to define herself beyond Middle Eastern traditions.

Khimji's art is a form of resistance against cultural stereotypes and the commercialization of cultural identity. For instance, in the Shifters series, which she initiated in the early 2000s, Khimji blends painting and sculpture to create free-standing, anthropomorphic plywood shapes with hollow interiors that she decorates with patterns evocative of skin, muscle, and bone. With a semi-abstract and deliberately ambiguous quality, Khimji's "Shifters" challenge established categorization and transcend the limitations of established or imposed identities.