"My colors are a vibrant expression, an act of rebellion, a joyful celebration."
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Shima Star is a Seattle-based interdisciplinary artist whose work engages with her personal narrative, social commentary, and transnational experience through color, form, and pattern. Born in South London, England, she draws from a multigenerational heritage that spans India, Africa, and Britain. Her practice incorporates visual traditions and symbolic layering to explore continuity, transformation, and historical context.
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Shima was the first in her family to pursue formal arts education, earning a distinction from the University of the Arts London. Her career reflects a focused commitment to creative research and material exploration.
She has received public art commissions from the cities of Bellevue, Kent, and Kirkland in Washington State, and has collaborated with the Bellevue Arts Program and Shunpike’s Amazon Storefronts initiative.
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Her work has been exhibited in solo shows in London and Seattle, and in group exhibitions across London, Chicago, New York, Seattle, and Rhode Island. Shima’s work has also been featured in the Rutgers University Arts Magazine, Bellevue Arts Museum, and Amazon. She is currently a member at Gallery110 in Seattle.
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Awards
2025 Kirkland Welcomes You – Utility Box Project, Kirkland, WA
2024 Gallery 110 Emerging Artists Scholarship Competition Finalist – Seattle, WA.
2024 ShunPike Storefronts Program – Public Art/Pop-Up Project, Seattle, WA.
2022 Bellevue Arts Program: Public Art Award – Utility Box Project, Bellevue, WA.
2022 4 Culture GAP “Embrace Your Colors” – Public Art Project, Seattle, WA.
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Too Controversial – TK Studio Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA.
2021 Centre of Contemporary Arts – Public Art Solo Exhibit (Gary Manual), Seattle, WA.
2021 Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair – Solo Exhibit Viragio Gallery, Seattle, WA.
Group Exhibitions
2025 Partition is Imaginary – King Street Station, Seattle, WA.
2025 Rebel Beauties – Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA.
2024 ACES Artist of Color Expo & Symposium – Seattle, WA.
2024 Uprising Group Exhibition – Nasty Gallery, London, UK.
2024 Members Group Exhibition – CoCA, Seattle, WA.
2024 Group Exhibition – ROCA, Rochester, NY.
2024 Group Exhibition – Fathom Gallery, Seattle, WA.
2024 Group Exhibition – The Womxn Project HQ, Providence, RI.
2023 Feminist to the Core – Salon LB Juried Exhibit, Chicago, IL.
Reimagined – Center on Contemporary Arts, Seattle, WA.
One Last Time – Kirkland Arts Centre, Kirkland, WA.
2022 For the Voices of Women – Studio 103 at TK Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA.
Public Art Solo Exhibit (POCO Seattle) – Centre on Contemporary Arts, Seattle, WA.
Sensing Women – Gallery C24 New York – Juried Group Exhibit, New York, NY.
Embrace Your Colors – Kirkland Arts Center & K4 Culture, Seattle WA.
Prelude – Kirkland Art Centre – Juried Group Exhibit, Kirkland, WA.
2021 Gallery (Spectrum) – Kirkland Arts Centre, Kirkland, WA.
Seattle Artists League – Anniversary Exhibit Artists of Color Expo & Symposium: Juried Group
Exhibit – King Street Station, Seattle WA.
Pink Board Collaborative Community Project – Grey Cube Gallery – Juried Group Exhibit.
2020 Speak UP! – Kirkland Arts Center – Juried Group Exhibit, Kirkland, WA.
Reflections – Kirkland Arts Center – Juried Group Exhibit, Kirkland, WA.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Red Sky Gallery – Juried Group Exhibit, Bothell, WA.
Rejoinder – Rutgers University Arts – Juried Group Exhibit, New Brunswick, NJ.
SENSE US – ArtXchange Gallery – Juried Group Exhibit, Seattle, WA.
Artists of Color Expo & Symposium – Juried Group Exhibit
2019 Gala/Auction – Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, WA.
Women of PNW Group Exhibit – Center on Contemporary Arts, Seattle, WA.
In the Flesh Juried Group Exhibit – Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA.
21st Century Woman Group Exhibit – Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA.
Best of Kirkland Art Center – Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA.
2018 KAST, Exhibition of Work – Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA.
2017 KAST, Exhibition of Work – Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA.
2017 Seattle Visual Arts Social Group – Invited to discuss and present work.
2016 KAST, Exhibition of Work – Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA.
2003 Wandsworth Art Festival – London
2002 Wandsworth Art Festival – London
1996 Final Group Exhibition – London Institute of Arts, London
Media
2024 Rassa Magazine Interview – South London.
2023 Artist Up Interview – Seattle.
2022 Pay The Artist Interview – Seattle.
Sue Beyer – Podcast Interview.
Drawing Inspiration – Podcast Interview.
2021-2023
ART CLUB founder (8.9k followers) – Interviews with gallerists, artists and art professionals such as Todd Levin (Art Consultant), Matthew Hockley Smith (Lisson Gallery, Christies), Mindy Solomon (Gallerist), Jennifer Higgie (Author of Mirror and the Palette), Hrag Vartanian (Co-founder of Hyperallergic), Brainard Carey (Author).
Arts Education
1993-1995 London Institutes of Arts: BA, Screen Printing and Surface Decoration - Distinction
1991-1993 Croydon College: Foundation of Arts - Merit
1991-1193 Advanced level Printmaking
1190-1991 Advanced level Graphic Design
1190-1991 Certificate of Prevocational Education - Art and Design