Visual Artist and Painter
About my work, and how to get in touch
I started oil painting at the age of 12, but after getting a BFA in graphic design, I spent a decade as a designer and illustrator during which I exhibited my paintings sporadically. By 2020 my focus had shifted to a full-time commitment to painting. Despite the lack of traditional artistic mentorship early on, I found a lot of pleasure in design and many of the skills and sensitivities I picked up along the way improved my painting in unexpected ways. The path I’ve taken has led me to the development of a narrative visual language which continues to evolve over time.
I am based in Los Angeles and represented by Micki Meng (formerly Friends Indeed Gallery) in San Francisco. My current works populate a parallel dimension with a cast of characters which include vine-covered trees suggestive of human archetypes, Sri Lankan devil dancers dressed as Yakkas who take part in exorcist rituals, and self portraiture. The work is intended to appear theatrical, reflecting on an awareness of the social performance necessitated by our relationships with each other and the drama of everyday life.
In recent years I have been a guest speaker at NYU, RIT, Texas Tech University and MICA and on the jury for The One Club for Creativity: Young Guns.
I have been profiled in the 2020 Book, We Are Here, Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World, by Jasmin Hernandez, and the 2019 Book: DesignHers, A Celebration of Women in Design Today, by Victionary.
My work has been featured on covers for The New York Times, LA Times, and Netflix Queue as well as various book covers such as Shruti Swamy’s Archer, Fatimah Asghar’s If They Come for Us, Akweke Emezi’s PET and BITTER and in films such as LITTLE, Fletch, and Boxing Day. I have exhibited my paintings at The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery NYC and LA, Micki Meng Gallery in SF, Swivel Gallery in Brooklyn NY, and Trotter & Sholer in NYC.
I often share my process on instagram: @shyamagolden
For all inquiries please contact Micki Meng Gallery micki@mickimeng.com
and for anything else: art@shyamagolden.com
Photo Credit: Brooke Didonato
Contact & Follow
Press
2019 Apartment Therapy | Shyama Golden House Tour
2014 The Great Discontent Interview
2019 Hi-Fructose | The Oil and Acrylic Paintings of Shyama Golden Feature Article
2021 Wrap Magazine | Shyama Golden’s designs defy definition
2020 Adobe Create Voices | Short Documentary
2020 Communication Arts | Feature Article
2020 Creative Boom | Shyama Golden on making your own luck, avoiding burnout and the power of connections
2021 Inside Hook | Exploring the Magical World of Shyama Golden
2019 The Juggernaut | How Shyama Golden made a name for herself
2018 WeTransfer | Interview and Feature Article
2020 We Are Here - Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World, by Jasmin Hernandez | Get the book here
2019 DESIGNHERS - A Celebration of Women in Design Today, by Victionary | Get the book here
2023 Colossal | Leafy Subjects Exemplify the Social Life of Trees of Shyama Golden’s Verdant Portraits
2023 The Creative Independent | Visual Artist Shyama Golden on accepting that you're good enough
2023 The National | Landmark exhibition gives Sri Lankan art a long-overdue voice on global stage
2023 ARTFORUM | The Foreigners
2023 The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka | Local Demons in American Setting
2022 Booooooom | Incarnation by Artist Shyama Golden
WE ARE HERE - Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World, by Jasmin Hernandez
DESIGNHERS - A Celebration of Women in Design Today, by Victionary
Exhibitions
2021 The Colour of the Climate Crisis,
The Pipe Factory, Barras Market, Glasgow
2021 Superchief Gallery 9 Year Anniversary Show, New York, NY
2021 The Portal: Year long residency as featured artist with Hotel Figueroa Los Angeles, CA
2020 CADAF Online's virtual art fair https://cadaf.art
2019 We Are Not Alone: Solo Exhbition at The Hall Brooklyn, NY, curated by Anne-Laure Lemaitre
2019 Decode Experiential x One Times Square META—morphosis: Artwork displayed at One Times Square New York, NY
2018 Mirrors & Malfunctions: Joint Exhibition with Mimi O Chun at 198 Allen St. New York, NY
2018 Juxtapoz Clubhouse Miami Art Basel Collection Miami, FL
May 7th-June 25th, 2022 Wonder Women,
Curated by Kathy Huang
Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, New York, NY
2022 A Land of All Possibilities,
curated by Anne-Laure Lemaitre
Trotter & Sholer, New York, NY
September 3rd-October 22, 2022 Wonder Women,
Curated by Kathy Huang
Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
September 15th-October 21st, 2022
Solo Exhibition
Friends Indeed Gallery, San Francisco, CA
November 30th-December 3rd, 2022
Goddesses
Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, at Miami Art Basel
November 30th-December 3rd, 2022
Group show
Friends Indeed Gallery, at NADA Miami
May 4th-October 22nd, 2023
The Foreigners
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka
October 13th-November 11th, 2023
Botany of Desire - Curated by Sadaf Pader
Swivel Gallery, Brooklyn NY
November 9th-November 18th, 2023
Item Number
Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Los Angeles
