London-based artist Shezad Dawood has been revealed as the inaugural winner of the Patina Art Residency – a new annual art award from Patina Hotels & Resorts celebrating artists whose work reflects a commitment to impact and sustainability.
The winner of the Residency is selected by an illustrious panel of judges including some of the world’s foremost art patrons and leaders, chaired by Maria Sukkar, Co-Chair of the TATE Middle East North Africa Acquisitions Committee. Judging the Residency were Maria Sukkar; Alan Lo; Arturo Galansino; Charlotte Colbert; Christian Levett; Hubert Bonnet; Ilaria Ferragamo; Marie-Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre; Masha Nosova; Sana Rezwan; and Sarah Von Boetticher (please see below for the full list).
Dawood was presented as the Patina Resident Artist 2025 at a private gathering of collectors, patrons and art world luminaries in London,” said Maria Sukkar.
“Shezad Dawood is the winner of the inaugural Patina Art Residency for his visionary ability to weave worlds — fluid, luminous, and deeply human. His practice dissolves the boundaries between disciplines and geographies, inviting us into spaces where myth meets science, and the personal becomes planetary.
“His work embodies the spirit of Fluid Worlds: porous, interconnected, and alive with imagination. In choosing him, the jury honours not only an artist, but a storyteller of our time - one who reminds us that art, like water, finds its way through everything.” Born in London in 1974, Dawood trained at Central St Martin’s and the Royal College of Art before undertaking a PhD at Leeds Metropolitan University.
A multidisciplinary artist who interweaves stories, realities and symbolism to create richly layered artworks, Dawood is fascinated by ecologies and architecture. His work takes a philosophical approach, asking questions and exploring alternative futures through what he describes as ‘world-building'.
Selected solo exhibitions and commissions include: A Garden of the Floating World, Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai (2025); Leviathan, Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury (2023); Night in the Garden of Love, Inspired by & featuring Yusef Lateef, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (2023) and WIELS, Brussels (2023); Integrations, Barakat Contemporary, Seoul (2023); and HMS Alice Liddell, St Pancras Wires commission, London (2022).
The newly established annual Patina Art Residency invites leading galleries to nominate existing works by artists that speak to a chosen theme relating to impact and sustainability. One artist is then selected by an independent judging panel to create at one Patina destination, where art and hospitality come together in a meaningful way.
As Patina Resident Artist 2025, Dawood will be awarded a fully supported residency of up to one month at Patina Maldives, Fari Islands. Designed by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan, the resort houses a respected permanent art collection, including the Skyspace Amarta by James Turrell, and offers guests wellness journeys, music programmes and culinary experiences alongside the Fari Islands’ vibrant community.
The theme of this year’s edition, Fluid Worlds - examining how boundaries shift and change, whether between cultures, ideas, or elements - and the location of the residency could scarcely have been more apt for an artist that has spent the past decade talking to and being influenced by marine biologists and environmentalists. As Dawood explains, “The chance to do extended ‘field work’ in the Maldives, supported by the Patina Residency, is a unique opportunity to have a meaningful relationship with the endangered reef systems of the islands, meet with local coral researchers and communities, and build on this through a daily drawing and painting practice responding to a mixture of conversations and visceral stimuli.”
"We're delighted that Shezad has been chosen as the inaugural Patina Resident Artist," says Evan Kwee, Vice-Chairman, Capella Hotel Group. " We're pioneering a different approach at Patina Hotels & Resorts: providing space, time, and network infrastructure for artists to create ambitious work at a defining stage in their careers. Shezad’s work embodies what we believe transformative luxury can be—creating the conditions for art to emerge. His decade-long engagement with marine biologists and reef ecosystems aligns perfectly with our commitment at Patina Maldives, where environmental action isn't separate from creative work—it's the context that makes it meaningful. We're excited to see what Shezad creates in dialogue with the Fari Islands' conservation efforts.”
“The Patina Art Residency stands out this year as one that highlights the importance of addressing issues of sustainability, in a world where that faces significant political challenges,” added Florence-based collector and Patina Art Residency judge, Christian Levett. “One should commend all the brilliant artists that have taken part this year and the excellent artwork they’ve produced surrounding this subject.”
Convened by Darius Sanai, proprietor of Quartet Consulting, the full jury for 2025-26 comprised:
- Maria Sukkar, Co-Chair of the TATE Middle East North Africa Acquisitions Committee and owner of the iSelf Collection
- Alan Lo, collector, entrepreneur and co-founder of the YAL Foundation in Singapore
- Arturo Galansino, Director of the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence
- Charlotte Colbert, award-winning filmmaker and multimedia artist
- Christian Levett, Florence-based collector, philanthropist and owner of the FAMM Museum in the South of France and the Christian Levett Collection
- Hubert Bonnet, Brussels-based entrepreneur, philanthropist, and collector and founder of the Fondation CAB in Belgium
- Ilaria Ferragamo, collector and designer based in London and Tuscany
- Marie-Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, founder of philanthropic community Spirit Now London
- Masha Nosova, next-gen investor and collector, based in London, Monaco and Dubai
- Sana Rezwan, Founder of the Public Arts Trust of India and the Jodhpur and Jaipur Arts Weeks
- Sarah Von Boetticher, Germany-based collector (Von Boetticher Collection) and art historian
