Masturah Sha’ari has had a love for drawing at a young age. Using pencil and coloured pencil, she would meticulously capture textures and details of her subjects on paper. In 2015, she started creating abstract paintings in acrylic and pastel on canvas to capture the beauty of life’s unpredictability, gratitude for the support of her loved ones and her steadfastness in being honest, kind and true to herself. These were moments that were all her own; the cathartic process becomes a space where she could relinquish all control, let go, explore, feel happy and free to just be. Her recent works see a deepening of her expression of the inner landscape of emotions, where the colours give each other space while creating a sense of balance. She has exhibited in Singapore and Malaysia.

Masturah holds a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Economics and Malay Studies, from National University of Singapore (1992), and a Diploma in Design Communication from LASALLE College of the Arts (2000). An accomplished Designer, she has designed several award-winning books, illustrations for publications, taught Drawing and Design at the Singapore Polytechnic, and has written reviews and essays for publications and journals. She is a mother of three and cofounder of Maya Gallery.