Raqib Shaw: Paradise Lost

An in-depth exploration of Shaw's most recent work: the ambitious, twenty-one-panel painting Paradise Lost

London-based artist Raqib Shaw (b. 1974) creates fantastical yet profoundly personal works that draw upon his Indian heritage and his deep knowledge of art history. This book explores the twenty-one-panel painting Paradise Lost, Shaw's most recent work and magnum opus. Premiering in an installation at the Art Institute of Chicago, the painting presents a dramatic narrative--from the loss of an idealized Kashmiri childhood to disillusionment, hedonism, destruction, rebirth, and, ultimately, peace. Stunning new photography with close details and installation views of the work offers a glimpse of Shaw's unique technique, involving industrial enamel paints that result in a luminous, cloisonné-like surface. Essays explore Shaw's sprawling autobiographical work through the lens of his multiple Kashmiri, Indian, and British identities and examine the artist's storytelling practice, drawing connections among European art and texts, including Milton's "Paradise Lost" and Dante's Divine Comedy, and identifying themes of exile, mourning, and the art of painting. This finely wrought publication offers the perfect introduction to the artist through his most ambitious work to date.

Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago

Exhibition Schedule:

Art Institute of Chicago
(June 7, 2025-September 26, 2027)