Shailee Thakkar

Shailee Thakkar is a Visiting Lecturer and an interdisciplinary artist based out of Austin, Texas. Her work explores themes of labor, time, and control within systems of power such as families, social communities, and art institutions. Language is often used by such institutions to establish control over information, speech, and movement. Thakkar’s process-based work is rule-based. She often sets rules for each project, playing the role of the system and the individual within it. She then uses transparency, redaction, removal, and retention to amplify or diminish the power of those words and systems through her work.

Thakkar received her MFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in May, 2026, where she is now a Visiting Lecturer. Thakkar is the Scattergood-Moore Artist-in-Residence at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA for Fall 2026. She holds a BA in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and an AA in Studio Art from Austin Community College. Thakkar is a former high school science teacher.

Thakkar’s work is currently on display at The People’s Gallery at City Hall (Austin). Previously, her work has been exhibited in Ceres Gallery (NY), The People’s Gallery at City Hall (Austin), Covet Gallery (CA), Old Walls Gallery (NM), and The Art Galleries at Austin Community College, where her work is also included in the permanent collection.