Suhail Shaikh is a self-taught paper artist. As a little boy in India, his grandmother helped him make his own toys from scratch. Paper and cardboard recovered from discarded packaging was easy, fun and quick to manipulate. From making his own toys, he moved on to making detailed model airplanes.

As an aviation artist who has also had a 20-year career as a professional designer, Suhail is passionate about aviation and has a soft-spot for British aviation achievements. He is fascinated by the stories that form the backdrop to historical aircraft and is an admirer of the design philosophy of the time. Looking beyond the destructive purpose of military aircraft, his creations celebrate the original designers’ instinctive grasp of flight and their pure technical genius.

Suhail believes that –
‘The human mind and hands are capable of creating beautiful things – wonderful machines that can attain one of man’s most cherished desires – to fly! This is something I would like to express through my art, to all generations, new and old, honouring the genius of the human mind. My sculptures celebrate the Art in Engineering and aim to express this aesthetic to accentuate the ‘soul’ of the aircraft. My signature style is to create a skeletal aircraft that reveals the insides enveloped in its pleasing outer form, thus giving a unique glimpse into the overall streamlined ‘flying’ shape and also the seldom seen engineering that lies within. Stories within stories.’

Suhail is currently designing and making a scale model of a Spitfire Vb AB273 sculpture that will be on display as part of the Courage & Devotion exhibition at The Atkinson which opens 26 June 2021.

Share your stories

Courage & Devotion looks at the lives of the Polish airmen based at RAF Woodvale and the surrounding area during World War 2. We are looking for any stories or objects you think may be relevant to the exhibition, please get in touch. Email info@theatkinson.co.uk.

Posted on 3 February 2021 under Exhibition, General news