Sid Pattni

Sid Pattni (b. 1986) is an Australian artist of Indian descent who explores the intricacies of identity, culture and belonging within a post-colonial framework. Working primarily in painting and embroidery, Pattni aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding art and its role in communicating the complexities of diasporic identity.

“I’m interested in how aesthetics shaped under empire can be reclaimed and reconfigured to tell new stories—stories about migration, memory and identity,” says the artist, who describes painting as a way to process the dissonance he has felt as someone navigating multiple cultural identities. “Over time, I’ve returned again and again to themes of hybridity, belonging and erasure,” he says. “I often reference historical visual formats – Mughal miniatures, Company paintings, colonial portraiture – not as homage, but as a means of critique and reimagining.”

In May 2025, Pattni was selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize for his work Self-portrait (the act of putting it back together). He will present his first solo exhibition at Michael Reid Sydney in July 2025.

Pattni has been the recipient of the Kennedy Prize (2023) for his embroidered portrait of Mostafa “Moz” Azimitabar, as well as the Khōj Cross-Hatchings Residency, New Delhi (2024), and the Minderoo Artist Fund Grant (2022). He was selected as a finalist in the National Emerging Art Prize (2024).