Born in 1996 in Rahim Yar Khan, Shamsul Arfeen is an international visual artist based in Lahore. He graduated from the National College of Arts,
Lahore in 2019 with a major in Painting. He has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally, in galleries such as Return on Art Gallery
(Vienna, Austria), Ejaz Art Gallery, O Art Space (Lahore), and Canvas Gallery (Karachi). He has also expanded his practice through an artist
residency at COLABS, Lahore. Arfeen’s works have been displayed alongside renowned artists such as Imran Qureshi, Damien Hirst, Sadequain,
and Ismail Gulgee. His work was also selected for the 16th edition of the Arte Laguna Prize (Venice, Italy). Beyond his career as a visual artist,
Arfeen is also active as an actor and singer with classical training. He received the Best Actor Award (2019) from the NCA Theatre Society and was
nominated for the Distinguished Alumni Award (2023) by the Beaconhouse School System. Recently, his work was exhibited at the prestigious
Anima Mundi Art Festival (Venice, Italy, April-May 2024). He also showcased his piece “BAAH” in Future Stars at The Holy Art Gallery, London.
My paintings are largely autobiographical, rooted in an acute observation of constant transformation. I attempt to move beyond traditional
landscape painting by experimenting with composition. My work is deeply inspired by the landscapes of South Punjab (Pakistan), yet it also
reflects pressing political and environmental concerns such as climate change and global warming. Rather than painting entire landscapes, I
focus on small fragments, enlarging them onto large scale canvases.

“Through this process, I immerse myself in my native grasslands losing and rediscovering myself within them. The act of painting becomes
meditative and self-revealing, allowing me to explore, investigate, and enjoy the process. I begin with feelings, which evolve into thoughts,
lines, and colors, ultimately finding harmony in texture. Over time, I’ve realized that I am drawn to creating long, single-stroke lines with small
brushes on large canvases. The tension between realism and abstraction fascinates me and drives my imagery. All means are at my disposal: I
sand, splash, drip, and scrub. These painterly, conceptual, and poetic gestures combine to shape my process. Layer upon layer of paint builds
a sensual depth, engaging the viewer. I am interested in what remains unseen when we fixate on what is visible revealing the unseen through
the act of seeing.