Shelina Khimji a Tanzanian award winning self taught artist and a qualified accountant, drawn to art since her childhood.

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She has exhibited in World Art Dubai 2020 as the only Tanzanian artist, and was featured in the following publications; The National UAE and Art & Lusso Magazine. Modern Renaissance, Culturally Arts, Addition Magazine, as well as The Citizen Tanzania for participating in the Rotaracts, Colours Of Hope Exhibition. 

She was selected to represent Tanzania in the women’s day exhibition in Dubai organized by ZeeArts Gallery among 115 women from different countries across the globe on the theme “rise to rejoice.” 

She has exhibited in the Holy Art Gallery in London and Athens, Artoze Gallery, Picasso Gallery as part of the exhibition organized by Art4u Gallery on Rediscover Nature as well as at Movenpick Hotel and Apartments Bur Dubai for a live painting event by CAWFEE arts. She was also selected by Rangi Gallery in Tanzania to exhibit for their art call titled “Ode to Women.”

She was selected by RAW coffee Company in Dubai for their art call titled Recycled and has been exhibiting her piece on their wall at present.

 

She recently joined the CAW movement community in Dubai as a female pioneer for being a coffee art creative and minting them as NFTs. Her artwork titled “Coffee bloom” was therefore minted as an NFT and it was exhibited at the DIFC Art nights in a concept called “gallery in a box.” She also exhibited on the QE 2 with Dubai International Art Centre Jumeirah. 

 

She felt joy to use her talent and have gotten an opportunity to create a mural jointly with another muralist for a play room in the Children’s Cancer Ward at the Muhimbili National Hosptal in Dar es Salaam. 

 

She has been a regular participant in the East African Art Biennale, a two time finalist in the New York and Los Angeles Coffee Art Project, a mentor and award winner at her local community art events, while her sketchbook has toured USA and Canada for being a participant in The Sketchbook Project.

 

She had the honour to participate in a live talk show hosted by the Ahlulbait Tv, an Islamic channel in UK, whose topic was art and the purpose it serves.  

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Colour and realism is her powerful symbolism as it reflects her happy persona and her ideal world imagery. She has a natural knack for drawing and her style is impressionistic since she loves giving an inkling to evoke her viewers emotions and imagination to her artworks. Her theme often portrays culture with a contemporary feel.

 

She does sketches, abstracts, figurative art, sceneries and perspective art with oils, acrylics, graphite and charcoal as her standard media. She loves to challenge herself and try different media as well. 

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Since her strength lies in the contemporary feel she has given to Tanzanian art, she lets her art speak for the values she holds when it comes to the preserving the environment and recognising the less privileged.

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She loves to depict the old and the ancient look and evoking nostalgia and romantic feelings in her artworks by the misty effect she loves to give in her artworks. She tries to capture her fantasies, a memory, a thought, a longing, the glimpse of the world through rose tinted glasses, underprivileged people and typical narrow streets. 

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Her paintings have fresh, bright and soothing tones giving a tranquil and cheerful mood to her work due to her idealistic and serene personality.

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She has a rich African and Arabian background since she grew up in Tanzania and inherited the Zanzibari upbringing from her parents. She completed her eduction in United Kingdom and has lived in United States of America and UAE. This combination tends to stand out in her work with the colours and layers highlighting her identity.