Zikr’ Presented Realistic Portrait Narratives by Shikha Sheoran

New Delhi: Recently, ‘Zikr’, a solo art exhibition by Shikha Sheoran, Portrait Artist | Sketch Artist, was presented at the India International Centre, Annexe Gallery, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. The exhibition brought together a compelling body of realistic portrait works created primarily using pencil and charcoal.

A contemporary portrait and sketch artist known for her expressive, detail-driven portraiture, Shikha works in the genre of Realistic Portraiture, with pencil and charcoal as her primary mediums. Her work blends technical precision with emotional sensitivity, transforming faces into intimate visual narratives that capture dignity, resilience, and individuality with striking clarity.

‘Zikr’ continued her people-centric artistic journey, presenting a cohesive exploration of identity and lived experience. The exhibition featured select works from her earlier series alongside new portraits, reinforcing her commitment to documenting stories that are often overlooked. Her subjects include lesser-known individuals, farmers, rural workers, women, and children—faces that, in her view, serve as archives of memory and experience.

Shikha’s artistic journey began in 2022, inspired by the Brokpa community of Ladakh, where she had spent time during a posting years ago. This encounter led to her foundational series, Brokpas, which explored the community’s distinctive attire, jewellery, and striking features. The series was first showcased at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) in 2022 and later at Visual Arts Gallery in 2023, receiving warm appreciation from audiences and key attendees.

Her subsequent series reflected a deepening engagement with social narratives. The Farmers series was displayed at Lalit Kala Akademi in January 2024, marking a shift toward grounded human stories rooted in agrarian realities. In July 2024, her series Kashmakash was conceptualised for the group exhibition Coloured Droplets and showcased at India Habitat Centre. Interpreting “droplets” as water rather than colour, the works highlighted water scarcity across India through faceless female silhouettes—often accompanied by children—symbolising invisibility, resilience, and intergenerational struggle.

Much of Shikha’s practice is informed by her engagement with NGOs, where she works closely with women and children from underserved communities. These lived interactions deeply influence her artistic language. For her, every face carries a narrative, and every portrait becomes a document of lived reality.

Kashmakash Collection by Artist Shikha

Over the past three years, she has participated in more than 25 group exhibitions across India, steadily building a practice rooted in realism and social reflection. With ‘Zikr’, Shikha Sheoran, Portrait Artist | Sketch Artist, reaffirmed her evolving journey—from observation to purposeful storytelling—using the simplicity of pencil and charcoal to create powerful, timeless visual testimonies.

The exhibition was open to art collectors, critics, curators, cultural patrons, and socially conscious audiences, fostering dialogue around empathy, representation, and contemporary human narratives in Indian art.