Every month, Outside In selects an ‘Artist of the Month’, whose work is featured on our Social Media platforms (Twitter and Facebook), and appears on the news pages of our website.

June’s Outside In Artist of the Month, Shafique Uddin, paints vibrant depictions of people and placesinspired by his own experiences. Here, Kate Davey asks him a few questions about his work and his life as an artist.

1) When did you first become interested in art, and what sparked this interest?

When I was 16 years old in Bangladesh, I was interested in art in order to clear my mind.

2) How would you describe your art practice? How has it developed over the years?

I would describe my art as realist. My work is contains landscape paintings mainly from Bangladesh.

3) What is your favourite medium to use and why?

My favourite medium is acrylics.

4) What is your work influenced by?

Landscape influenced me, again in Bangladesh.

5) What has been your highlight as an artist so far?

My paintings have been displayed in the Tate Modern, Madrid Museum of Art in Madrid, Spain, and Whitechapel Art Gallery; where I am artist in residence. I also did the mural at Mile End Hospital. 

6) What's next for you as an artist?

I would like to enter some of my paintings in the next Pritchards Road Day Centre art exhibitions.

To see more of Shafique’s work, visit: www.outsidein.org.uk/shafique-uddin

Keep a look out for July’s Artist of the Month!