About
Hi! I'm Shebani. I'm an Indian-American artist and writer based in Philly, and I use my art to tell stories and create social change. I’m a sociologist by training and have worked in nonprofits and local government. My day job, art practice, and identity all inform each other. Across mediums, my work deals with themes like race, identity, mental and physical health, and structural inequality.
I love to use snarky drawings to brings ideas and narratives to life. I work with nonprofits and organizers to help make research and campaigns accessible. I love collaborating with other artists on projects ranging from graphic essays to comic webseries. I’m passionate about teaching, and I regularly lead workshops on comics, social justice, and cooking!
Let’s work together! I’d love to hear from you.
RECENT Exhibitions
2025 - 2026 The New York Sari, The New York Historical, New York City, NY
2025 Huddle, a $99 Exhibition, Vox Populi, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Lingering Orbit, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Art Inspired By Food, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER CREDITS
Problematic
Illustrator for the digital series Problematic, from BRIC TV. 2025.
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
“Imagined Messages From My Dying Plants.” 2024.
“Youtube Yoga for South-Asian Americans.” 2023.
Seventh Wave
“DEI, Bitch.” 2024.
Slant’d, Issue 06: Homecoming
Illustrations for poem, Real I.D. 2024.
MemeZine
“A Pitch for a Taco Bell Cantina.” 2024.
The Belladonna Comedy
“The World’s Worst Artisanal Cocktails.” 2024.
“The Summer I Turned Back to Ugly.” 2023.
SAAG, Volume 2, Issue 1
“A Freelancer’s Guide to Decision-Making.” 2023.
Soham Dance Space website
Reflections on Soham’s “Transform/Affirm” Kick-off Convening. 2022.
Lumpenpockets Mag, Issue 1
“Social Distancing Guide for Desi Parents.” 2022.
LitHub
Shebani Rao and Sejal Shah. “Finding Friendship in Pandemic Collaboration.” 2021.
Cape Mag, Issue 1
“What to do if you have a crush.” 2021.
Haywood Burns Institute
Illustrated EM Toolkit: Ending the Use of Virtual Shackles. 2020.
The Margins, Asian American Writers’ Workshop
Illustrated Kimarlee Nguyen’s short story, “This Is a Story We All Know.” 2020.
On Privilege, Fraudulence, and Teaching As Learning: Selected Essays 1981-2019
Illustrated famed sociologist and feminist Peggy McIntosh’s collection of essays. 2019.
Tides Magazine
Kamaladevi comic featured in article, “The Other Kamala.” 2019.
Buzzfeed India
"This Woman Imagined Desi Women as Hollywood Romcom Leads and We Need to Make This Happen." 2017.
The Aerogram
"Illustrator Shebani Rao Shares 'Eight Things Only Desi-American Kids Will Understand." 2017.
"Comic Celebrates Life of a Badass Desi Feminist Hero." 2017.
Buzzfeed
"Someone Illustrated Leslie Knope's Compliments and They're Pretty Damn Cool." (I'm the "Someone.”) 2016.
"Someone Illustrated Leslie Knope Compliments and They Rock." (I'm still the "Someone.") 2016.
Teaching And PERFORMiNG
Workshops and performances
Several Indian cooking classes held at Rowhouse Grocery and the Philadelphia Free Library. 2025.
Performed in “Acts of Resistance,” a fundraiser show at Vox Populi Gallery. 2025.
St. Joseph’s University, “Philadelphia’s Criminal Legal System” lecture for Inequality in American Society. 2025.
Georgetown University, “Oral History and Comics” lecture for an English course, Asian American Women’s Literature. 2023 and 2024.
Free Library of Philadelphia. “Make a Comic About Your Chinatown Experience!” Part of a Philadelphia Folkore Project series. 2024.
UC Davis, “Personal Liberation Through Comic Art” workshop for the UC Davis Women’s Center. 2021.
UC Davis, “Quarantine House” workshop for a Women’s History course, Literature as Aesthetics of Resistance. 2021.
Panelist
St. Joseph’s University. Participated in a discussion on working with the South Asian American Digital Archives (SAADA) and engaging with community history through art. 2019.
George Washington University, Participated in a discussion on art and activism with GWU’s South Asian Society. 2018.
Interviews and Press
“Art as Resistance | Vox Populi’s ‘Acts of Resistance’ Refuses to Look Away.” By Lauren Abunassar. Al-Bustan News Service. 2025.
Apex Express. “Talking About Comics” podcast w/Thi Bui and Rachelle Cruz. 2018.
The Aerogram. “A Q&A With Comics Creator Shebani Rao.” 2018.