Suhail Shaikh, Artist — Paper Sculpture

Work

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Nature Revealed

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Flight

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Invisible Forces

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Projects

Nature Revealed

Growth · Fragility · Interdependence · Rhythm · Emergence · Transformation · Balance

Flight

Memory · Aspiration · Invention · Risk · Fragility · Human Endeavour

Invisible Forces

Energy · Gravity · Balance · Tension · Movement · Space · Connection

Projects

Dialogue · Collaboration · Place · Story · Installation · Experimentation · Discovery

About the artist

What truly moves me is the human experience.

As life's circumstances constantly resonate with our inner landscape, invisible forces connect our inner world with the world around us. Momentum, growth, tension, balance, fragility, opposition and transformation are some of the forces that shape the way we inhabit the world, giving rise to deeply personal emotional and perceptual experiences. These are the human stories that make me want to create.

I am captivated by the moment something unseen becomes visible. Sculpture allows me to explore that threshold of transformation, where the intangible begins to take form. It is here that I find possibility, where change is held in a moment of emergence. Through each sculpture, a memory, a sensation or an emotion may unfold within the viewer, creating a space for human connection. It is through these moments of connection, however ordinary or extraordinary, that I believe we share the immeasurable depth of what it means to be human.

The organic, vegetal, animal and architectural forms that emerge in my work are the visible traces of this ongoing artistic journey.

For me, paper is the natural language of this exploration. It enables me to investigate the relationships between beings, phenomena and spaces. Within it I find a material capable of expressing strength and fragility, permanence and impermanence, in its presence and absence.

My process is rooted in precision, yet it is less about constructing than revealing. By carefully removing material, I uncover spaces where absence becomes as meaningful as form itself.

My works are like open systems, where light, gravity and space become co-authors of visible form. Their interaction continually reshapes our perception, reminding us of its ever-changing nature.

Ultimately, the depth of the viewer's experience matters more than the object itself. Form is simply the beginning of a conversation.

It is not what it is; it is how it makes you feel.

Background

Childhood Bombay, India My first encounter with paper took place through creating toys and scale models. A fascination for machines, volumes, and the possibilities offered by this material was born during this period.
Education & design career India and France Several years of professional experience in design developed a sensitive approach to materials, structures, and creation.
For over 15 years Professional artist Paper has become my primary medium of expression. In my artistic practice, craftsmanship and design are essential allies inherited from my background and are present in each of my creations.

Exhibitions

2026–2028"Paper Tells a Story of Silk", traveling exhibition, Europe, Asia.
Jul 2026Group exhibition, La Chapelle, Le Cheylard, France.
Jun–Oct 2025"Entre Deux", two-person exhibition, Château de Désaignes, France.
Apr 2024The Many — full-scale cardboard Lancaster bomber aircraft, RAF Ingham, Lincolnshire, England.
2022, 2024Biennale d'Art Singulier, Musée Art et Industrie, St. Etienne, France.
Nov 2023"Papermywishes", Atkinson Museum, Southport, England.
2022Roundabout sculpture — full-scale stainless steel Spitfire, Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Mar 2022"Le Papier dans tous ses états", group exhibition, Espace JDFlandreysy, Valence, France.
2021Creation of a Spitfire aircraft for the Atkinson Museum, Southport, England.
2021Creation of a Hurricane aircraft for the PMAG museum, Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Aug 2021"Carrefour des Arts", group exhibition, Lalouvesc, France.
Oct 2020"Le Papier dans tous ses états", group exhibition, Château musée de Tournon, France.
Oct 2019"Rêves de Papier", solo exhibition, Milan, Italy.
Aug 2019"Papermywishes", solo exhibition, Château d'Oex, Switzerland.
Jul 2018Montpellier Art Fair, group exhibition, Montpellier, France.
Jul 2018"Breathe Away", group exhibition, Vaison-la-Romaine, France.
Oct 2017"Chemin des Peintres", group exhibition, Jaillans, France.
Oct 2017Group exhibition "Paper Heroes", Jaffa, Israel.
Feb 2017"Papermywishes", solo exhibition, Ciney, Belgium.
Jan 2017Group exhibition, L'Accueil, Brussels, Belgium.
Nov 2016"Papermywishes", solo exhibition, Brussels, Belgium.
Oct 2016Group exhibition "Paper Creatures", Jaffa, Israel.
Feb 2016International Paper Art Exhibition, Haacht, Belgium.
May–Jun 2015"Papermywishes", solo exhibition, Brussels, Belgium.
Aug 2014Festival Arts et Vigne, Châtillon-en-Diois, Drôme, France.
Feb–Mar 2014International Paper Art Exhibition, Haacht, Belgium.
Nov 2013–Jan 2014Two-person exhibition, Les Lilas, France.
Aug 2012–2013Festival Arts et Vigne, Châtillon-en-Diois, Drôme, France.
May 2012Annual group exhibition, Lil'art, Les Lilas, France.

Awards

2024François Schneider Foundation, 13th Contemporary Talents Competition, Wattwiller, France.

Collaborations

2024–2026"Paper Tells a Story of Silk", collaborative exhibition creation, Ardèche, France.
2021–2022Light installation, Trauerpastoralen Zentrum am Ostfriedhof, Munich, Germany.
2021Set design for "Claudication", Françoise Maimone Company, Valence-Romans Agglo, France.
2016–2018KMF, Precision Sheet Metal Fabrication, Stoke-on-Trent, England.
2014Les Argonautes, Circus Company, Brussels, Belgium.
2012–2014Isabelle de Borchgrave Design Studio, Brussels, Belgium.