Nilima Sheikh at MoMA: What happens when home itself is under threat?

Nilima Sheikh's career has been marked by moments that touch the heart, like when guards at her 2014 Chicago exhibition were moved by her work, likening it to political events. Her exhibition, "Each night put Kashmir in your dreams," explored Kashmir's cultural legacy and its volatile present, potentially limiting its political depth for Western viewers.

She dismisses the notion that the untrained eye cannot appreciate art, comparing a work of art to music. Now in New York, Sheikh is showcasing her first solo show at MoMA, titled "Fractured Skies," featuring three series: "Each night put Kashmir in your dreams" (2003-14), "Home, Land" (2023-25), and "Shahid/Witness" (2025-26), which delves into climate change.

Sheikh's artistic journey began with seeing photographs of floods in Uttarakhand, which led her to read about the environmental crisis. She adapts the traditional folk tale "Simurgh" into her visual lexicon, depicting the wrath of the river in her painting "Climate Change/Flood 2." Born into a family of doctors, Sheikh's affinity for arts was nurtured by her parents, especially her mother, a naturalist, and her exposure to art at Delhi's Modern School.

She pursued history at the University of Delhi and painting at MSU Baroda, where she learned to integrate text and visual elements in her work. Collaboration is crucial to her practice, and she works closely with artisans and traditional painters. Her art reflects her deep understanding of Kashmir's history and the impact of environmental changes.