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 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
You can reach me at art@shyamagolden.com
Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
*Upcoming solo May 20th, 2025 Too Bad, So Sad, Maybe Next Birth with PM/AM Gallery, 37 Eastcastle St, London W1W 8DR, United Kingdom (join mailing list for updates)
*Upcoming group exhibition* March 1st – August 3rd, 2025 Under The Talking Tree, Kunsthal N, Copenhagen, Denmark
*Upcoming group exhibition* June 14 – September 7th, 2025, Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Arlington, VA
February 17th – March 30th, 2025 Exhibitionism, Rajiv Menon Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
June 1 – July 16th 2024 Group show: What Now?, PM/AM Gallery, 37 Eastcastle St, London W1W 8DR, United Kingdom
May 16th – June 22nd 2024 Solo: In My Mind, Out My Mind, Harper’s Gallery, 534 W 22nd St., New York, New York
May 25 – June 26 2024 Group show: 36 Paintings, Harper’s Gallery, 87 Newtown Ln, East Hampton, NY 11937
May 15th-June 3rd 2024 Group show: The Past is a Country, Rajiv Menon Contemporary, 3110 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Recent Press
2024 New American Paintings PACIFIC COAST #169 Winner
2023 ARTFORUM : The Foreigners
2023 The National : Landmark exhibition gives Sri Lankan art a long-overdue voice on global stage
2023 The Creative Independent : Visual Artist Shyama Golden on accepting that you’re good enough
2023 Colossal : Leafy Subjects Exemplify the Social Life of Trees of Shyama Golden’s Verdant Portraits
2022 Booooooom: Incarnation by Artist Shyama Golden
2020 We Are Here – Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World, by Jasmin Hernandez, Abrams Books
