Hi, I’m Shakti Kroopkin (she/they)—that’s me! I’m a contemporary abstract artist known for dynamic, intuitive paintings that lean into curiosity, movement, and joy. Born in Chicago in 1976, I started painting landscapes and clowns in oils at age seven (yes, clowns). I later graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1998 with focuses in painting and art education.

After plenty of traveling and bouncing around, I landed in New Mexico in 2005, where I now live with my son, Malachi, our dogs Frankie Taco and Ruby Rainbow, Mu the cat, and a lively flock of four chickens and one very opinionated rooster. I recently built a 16’ x 24’ pitched-roof studio on my property near Cerrillos Hills State Park—welcome to ShapeSpace Studio.

Art is at the center of my life. I own and operate Mad Contemporary, an integrated gallery and art center in Madrid, NM, where I curate exhibitions, host workshops, offer open studio time, and showcase rad local artists alongside my own work. I actively exhibit in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and nationally, and collaborate through collectives like Abstract Picnic and other performative and sculptural projects.

I also teach at The Masters Program at Santa Fe Community College, facilitating art-making through an Art and Games Club and a weekly school beautification service-learning project. Inspired by my own high school art teacher, my teaching is rooted in empathy, inclusivity, and creative risk-taking.

Beyond the gallery and classroom, I share my work through public art, wearable art, live painting, and performance. I’m affiliated with Walter Wickiser Gallery (NYC), Jezebel Gallery, Abstract Picnic, and the Santa Fe Society of Artists. My work has been shown in over 50 exhibitions nationwide and lives in international collections