About the artist
Schiela Ali deconstructs the way we see the world through an energetic use of colour and shape. The London-based artist takes a multimedia approach to paintings that create rich textures that keep her audiences captivated as they dissect nature, cities, and themselves within her abstractions. Her uplifting energy and mesmerising expressiveness are built upon a lifetime of building her skills while finding inspiration in new corners of the globe.
Ali was born in the United Kingdom and raised in the Scottish countryside. Surrounded by the vast pastoral landscapes, she felt a deep motivation to create by the nature that seemed to endlessly surround her. Determined to explore this passion further, she enrolled at the prestigious Edinburgh College of Art studying Fine Arts and Sculpture. Whilst there, her focus began to shift. She continued her education in the realm of Graphic and Digital Design. Upon graduating she began a decade-long career as a corporate designer in the city. She went on to become a freelance designer, allowing her to apply her skills, knowledge, and aesthetic to numerous individuals and brands around the world.
Following her time as a freelance designer, she relocated to Hong Kong. Inspired by how the city and nature collided in this global metropolis, she had a resurgence of her desire to paint and draw. She began to bring the city and landscapes to life, especially her interpretations of the outstanding sea views from her homes on Lantau Island and Taikoo, and the momentum of the city whilst living in central Hong Kong. She immersed herself in the artistic communities, visiting galleries, attending night markets, and building her network of creative minds. Her practice built upon the people and cultures she admired from her travels across Asia, incorporating new techniques and perspectives into her work. Painting became a space of solitude from the cacophony of the city and the hustle of raising a family. Returning home to the United Kingdom in 2022, she has set up her studio in London, eager to delve deeper into her investigations of our relationship with the world around us.
Ali’s work can be found in London galleries, with more international exhibitions in development. She was awarded Best 2D Artwork at the 2023 Winter Open Exhibition in London, a testament to her growing recognition in the contemporary art scene.
In 2023, Ali received notable mentions from leading UK print company Wraptious. In 2024, her profile and artworks were featured in the prestigious International Artist Talk Magazine and hardback book publication, based in London. This feature has been archived by the British Library, preserving her contribution to the arts as part of the UK’s national heritage and ensuring it remains an accessible resource for future generations. Also in 2024 she won the highly commended award after exhibiting in the Rose Gallery Bluewater, London.
Artist Statement
As a painter who is also trained in the formal elements of design, I cannot help but notice nature’s intriguing geometries, plays of colour, and ability to evoke deeply visceral reactions. Inspired by my time living abroad, amidst interesting, diverse environments and cultures, I uncovered a universality to the Earth’s impact on our human spirit. I translate these notions primarily using abstract techniques.
I combine elements of figuration with mark-making, vibrant palettes, and dynamic textures. In doing so, my practice is built on instinct. Expressive brushstrokes allow spontaneity-infused mixtures of colours and shapes to emerge. Acrylics, inks, oils, gesso, charcoal, plaster, pastels, and sand, among many other materials, are applied to my canvases and combined into original mixtures. With brushes, syringes, spatulas, and even my bare hands, I add new dimensionality to the character of my work.
My experimentations involve not only the application of my materials but also the interactions of the colours on the surface in unique and unexpected ways. Whether it be gestural mark-making, intense fields of colour, or figurative forms distorted by my plays of line, I manipulate the experience of these elements, providing entrancing macro and microscopic examinations of the natural world. What is revealed are the moments of magic that inhabit the often presumed banality of our world.
Nature has the power to produce intense colours and construct extraordinary shapes that, when we focus our attention on them, have a truly otherworldly presence. Just as I experience a sense of freedom in the creation of each artwork, I want to inspire my viewers to find moments of escape, catharsis, and introspection as they are caught in the ebbs and flows of my paintings.
I LOVE it!”