Swati Goel: Embracing Abstraction, Authenticity, and the Art of Being Unconventional
Swati Goel is an abstract artist whose practice centers around abstraction, color, emotion, home, family, hope, light, and a sense of relatability.
She is primarily a painter, working with acrylic on canvas and linen. Swati believes in letting her artwork speak for itself and in giving it a voice of its own. Her approach embraces breaking norms, being unconventional, and fully accepting one’s unique self cuz that’s the way she is.
Her art journey began during the COVID lockdown, when the city felt sad and hopeless. It was then that she started painting, without even knowing she could paint until that moment. From 2022 to 2023, she exhibited non-stop across India, participating in 17 shows, including five solo exhibitions in just one year. In doing so, she carved out her own space in the art world and built a network from scratch, despite coming from a business family with no background in art.
Seeking further growth, Swati enrolled in the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where she spent nine transformative months. The experience gave her not just theoretical knowledge but, more importantly, the confidence to push boundaries, challenge conventions, and speak to what often goes unspoken.
A quote that deeply resonated with her during this time was: “Find comfort in discomfort.” It came from one of her first advisor meetings and continues to guide both her art and her life.
Swati has now completed her MFA in Arts & Humanities at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London and is now based in India.