Nafisa, born in Mumbai, India, is an internationally renowned Australian artist- winner of the Gold Medal at the Florence Biennale with a 6 meter long mural depicting Australian Wildflowers in the vibrant colours of the Great Barrier Reef. and remains the only Australian artist to achieve this prestigious accolade. She was the winner in Australia’s most famous portrait prize, The Archibald (winning the Packer’s Prize), as well as winning the City of Perth Black Swan Prize for Portraiture confirming her as a recognised portrait artist across Australia. She has been represented as a finalist in every major art prize including the Dobell Prize for Drawing, the Blake Prize, The Black Swan Perth Portrait Prize,The Kedumba Drawing Award, the Portia Geach Portrait Award, the Hutchins prize etc, amongst many others. In 2015, her personal diary of 90 drawings (created over multiple visits to Tuscany over 5 years) was awarded First Prize for Works on Paper at the Chianciano Biennale that later led to her publishing the Commemorative Edition of Tuscan Temptations (signed, numbered of 100) in 2021, launched at the Art Gallery of NSW. The edition won 3 Gold Medals for publishing, printing and design in November 2021. The Italian Print Edition (of 1000 printed in Vicenza, Italy) was launched at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2023 with a full Italian translation accompanying the English narrative.
Establishing herself as one of Australia’s most awarded artist with over 200 prizes and commendations to her name since beginning her art career just over 20 years ago, Nafisa has also devoted much of her artistic talent to works she has donated to help charities raise much needed funds.
From a young age when growing up in Hong Kong, Nafisa demonstrated a noticeable talent and interest in Fine Art. When completing her secondary school and HSC in Sydney, she came first in NSW in 3 Unit Art. Choosing to study Medicine at UNSW furthered her appreciation of the beauty of nature and the human form, empowering her with the knowledge of human anatomy that served her later as a portrait artist in the tradition of the old masters of the Renaissance. Leaving Medicine and starting a business in fashion was a pull into her creativity and opened the door to travel regularly to Italy for work, enabling her to view the great art collections of Europe.
After some years in the fashion industry, her love for the visual arts drew her back to ART. Nafisa applied for and won a scholarship to Julian Ashton Art School in 1999, graduating with a Diploma of Fine Art, then a couple of years later graduated with a Master of Fine Art from the National Art School in Sydney.. She holds the position of Fellow at the Royal Art Society of NSW. She continues to exhibit in Europe, the USA and the UK and gives select tutorials in portraiture and life painting, from her studio in the Southern Highlands and conducts workshops abroad.
In 2021, Nafisa established a studio in Florence, Italy, and now splits her time between her place in Florence (the cradle of the Renaissance), and Sydney.
Nafisa works across the mediums of painting (in watercolour, oils - on canvas, board, and stainless steel), drawing, bronze cast sculpture and porcelain and Installation.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Zoy Group Sydney
Pendragon UK
ServCorp, Tokyo, Japan
Anantara Resort Group, Chiang Rai
SKF, Shanghai
HMAS WaterHen Sydney
Sydney University Department of Science
Black Friars Collection Australia
John Sample Group International
Whitehouse School of Design Sydney
Welden International
Maritime Museum Sydney
Royal North Shore Hospital Sydney
St Vincent’s Private Hospital Sydney
Humour Foundation (Clown Doctors)
Burwood Press Australia
Aussie Home Loans
Preston Group Australia
Whistler Arts Council BC Canada
Aqua Dining Group Sydney
Chianciano Art Museum , Tuscany