Spiritual Ecology Artist
Bagh-E-Tasleem
2m by 1.5m
Natural Pigments on barkcloth
Ismaili Centre Paris, France (2025) (institutional aquisition)
In Bagh-e-Tasleem—The Garden of Submission—Shafina Jaffer unites the spiritual quest of The Global Conference of the Birds with the sacred geometry of the Charbagh, the fourfold garden of Paradise. Painted on barkcloth with natural pigments and gold, the
work becomes a living manuscript of surrender, unity, and divine presence. The charbagh is not only a celestial map but a mirror of the human heart—divided into four chambers, irrigated by the rivers of mercy, love, knowledge, and detachment. At its centre lies a radiant fountain, its waters circling a bed of gemstones—each carrying symbolic weight: vitality, healing, and divine light. This is the heart’s axis, where longing and fulfilment meet. Bagh-e-Tasleem is not a place. It is a state. A return to stillness, where submission is not defeat but illumination. Where every leaf, bird, and star echoes the same call: return, remember, release.
Global Conference of the Birds
4 panels: 4m x 4m (each),
Left to Right:
-
The Gathering
-
The Journey Begins
-
The Ascension
-
Simurg
Inspired by the 10th century poem; "The Conference of the Birds" by Persian philosopher Farid Ud Din Attar
Barkcloth painted with Natural Earth Pigments
MALL GALLERIES, LONDON
2025
A contemporary reimagining of Farid ud-Din Attar’s Conference of the Birds, this series explores the soul’s journey toward divine awakening. Each work reflects a parable of human limitation—pride, fear, desire, and illusion—while guiding the viewer toward inner truth. Created on barkcloth using natural pigments, the series intertwines spiritual philosophy with ecological consciousness. Rooted in sacred geometry and Sufi thought, these works shift the narrative from seeking the divine to recognising that the light we search for has always resided within.
Baby Jhabo (coat)
Flight Toward Tomorrow
Garment sculpture (Jhabo)
Exhibited at Dubai World Trade Centre(2025)
2025
Jute, barkcloth, natural pigments,
Hand-stitched from jute and adorned with barkcloth birds, this baby jhabo carries a message for the future: we must begin again, and begin now. The birds have seen their own reflection, awakened to the truth within, and now rise—not in search of paradise, but in response to the Earth’s call. Crafted for a child, this robe speaks of responsibility and hope. It is not a symbol of power, but of promise—woven for the small shoulders who will inherit both the light and the burden of a healing world.
Jhabo (coat)
Flight of the Inner Light
Garment sculpture (Jhabo)
Barkcloth, natural pigments
Exhibited at Mall Galleries, London (2025)
This Jhabo becomes a map for the soul. On the front, the Hoopoe soars over the Seven Valleys, leading the birds in flight toward the Simurgh. On the back, she perches atop the highest peak, calling to birds and horses alike. Along the river of life, boats sail with feather-shaped masts—each one a prayer in motion. This is not a garment of the body, but of becoming: stitched in guidance, gilded in light, and woven for the journey inward.
Mandalas of Paradise (left)
Rivers of Paradise (right)
(Diptych)
100 × 100 cm
Barkcloth, natural pigments
Exhibited at Zamana Gallery Space, London (2025)
Inspired by the Charbagh garden of paradise and Attar’s Conference of the Birds, this series of mandala-like paintings reflects the circular nature of time, spirit, and sacred design. The layered patterns evoke the cycle of life, echoing the interconnectedness of all beings through the geometry of eternity. Each circle is a prayer, a breath, a mirror—drawing the viewer inward, then outward, into harmony with the divine. These are not merely decorative forms, but illuminated maps of spiritual return.
Manifestation of Eden
80cm x 80cm
Bark cloth painted with natural pigments
StART Platform, SAATCHI Gallery
LONDON
2023
A peacock of paradise unfolds in patterned stillness, its body adorned with sacred geometry and cosmic fragments. Balancing beauty and illusion, it reflects the soul’s attachment to form and ornament. Rooted in earthly textures yet reaching toward the divine, the work questions what we choose to value—and what we overlook.
Creation of Eden
80cm x 80cm
Barkcloth, natural pigments
StART Platform, SAATCHI Gallery
2023
A vision of Eden unfolds where creation emerges from within. The human form dissolves into landscape, echoing the origins of life and divine breath. A peacock, symbol of paradise, witnesses this becoming. The work reflects on creation as both earthly and sacred—an eternal unfolding of life, spirit, and origin.
Eden Series
Solar Emergence
40cm by 40cm
Bark cloth painted with natural pigments
StART Platform, SAATCHI Gallery, LONDON
2023
A radiant force emerges from a field of movement, where colour and energy collide like the birth of a new world. The glowing sun anchors the composition, suggesting divine origin and life-giving power. This work reflects creation as a moment of expansion—where chaos, light, and matter unite in a sacred unfolding.
Eden Series
Primordial Pulse
40cm by 40cm
Bark cloth painted with natural pigments
StART Platform, SAATCHI Gallery, LONDON
2023
A radiant force emerges from a field of movement, where colour and energy collide like the birth of a new world. The glowing sun anchors the composition, suggesting divine origin and life-giving power. This work reflects creation as a moment of expansion—where chaos, light, and matter unite in a sacred unfolding.