“I once heard Yinka Shonibare talking about his choice of subjects, and somewhere he mentioned a turning point in his career, based on a teacher’s suggestion, that led to his explorative journey into cultural identity and historical contextualisation.

During COVID, to alleviate the stress and mental-health situation of many of my friends and followers, I began to paint dogs. Continuing with dogs as a lynchpin, I explored different compositions and themes. At the start, I remember thinking a good deal about what would make interesting modern subjects, because I figured people are interested in the decision trail of your work. 

But whether I painted dogs or spoke at depth about impressionism or Krasner-Pollock partnership, I found a territorial tension being generated, almost like a trespass situation,  reminding me of who I am, of how I have, in so many instances, been ‘recommended’ to paint sacred Indian cows or try miniature painting. Much of these experiences and explorative thoughts have led me to paint themes that sometimes obscure my labels and expand into an otherwise less traversing world.

My themes in the past among others have included county cricket grounds in England; portraits of people I know with their everyday possessions, like shoes or glasses or sewing tools; a series of sketches of the iconic moments of The Football World Cup; indoor plants in my house and so on.

I find myself continuously challenging the idea of me and my work being seen as an ambassador of a certain section of the social hierarchy.”

Maha Satish lives and works in London. Her work has been shortlisted at numerous shows and she has exhibited across London and abroad. She paints on cotton and linen canvases in oils, a medium she loves for its malleability and challenges.

Each painting is crafted over months owing to the layers used to build up each image, and drawing on an archive of collected imagery and background references, Maha works through her compositions to create deeper angles and visually striking works. With figuration at the centre of her practice, she is passionate about playing with focus using colour fields to capture and create light and layers of space in her paintings.

In Dog We Trust is Maha’s latest solo show.

A free exhibition with proceeds from all sales going to the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.

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