Nilisha Phad

Nilisha Phad is an Indian contemporary figurative painter whose practice explores the relationship between identity, emotion, and the human body. She completed her BFA in 2018 and MFA in 2020, specialising in Portraiture at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai. Her academic training in representational painting laid the foundation for a practice that moves beyond physical likeness to examine the psychological and emotional dimensions of her subjects.

Phad develops her portraits through conversations with the individuals she depicts, allowing their experiences, vulnerabilities, aspirations, and changing social roles to inform her compositions. Her figures often appear introspective, with posture, gesture, and gaze conveying subtle shifts in emotional states. Through layered imagery and careful observation, she approaches portraiture as a means of understanding the connections between inner experience and outward appearance. Painting becomes, for Phad, both an act of attentive observation and a process of reflection.

Based in Mumbai, Phad has received several grants and awards in recognition of her practice, including the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2021 and 2024, the Prafulla Dahanukar Foundation Gold Award in 2022 and 2023, and the Shrishti AIF Grant in 2020. She was also awarded the CCRT Young Artist Scholarship in 2019 and the Art For Hope Hyundai Grant in 2026. Her work invites viewers to look beyond surface appearances and consider the complex emotional experiences that shape individual identity.