Shirley Bhatnagar

Shirley Bhatnagar’s work is a commentary on social and political concerns. Her body of works has been built upon historical study and references. The sense of play and hilarity entwined with illustrations now forms the backbone of Shirley’s work. While her ceramic pieces are simple, almost toy-like, the process of creating and distilling them from a very complex idea always remains a challenge.

Shirley Bhatnagar works in design, craft and art. An Alumnus of the National Institute of Design, she has more than 20 years of professional experience. While she works primarily in ceramics, she has executed numerous projects using Indian crafts. She founded and led the Fired Material Department at the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design in Jaipur in 2010. She has many commissions to her credit from the Indian School of Business, Mohali for projects for GVK, Mumbai Airport under Rajiv Sethi Scenography. She has had residencies in the United States, Japan and, more recently, in Stoke in Britain, 2019 as the first awardee of the exchange between the British Ceramics Biennial and the Indian Ceramics Triennial through Charles Wallace. Her studio, Irregular Beauty, is known for fun and whimsical handmade ceramics. She is also a visiting faculty member at design colleges across India.