A self-taught artist from Pulwama, Kashmir, Suhail Muhammad Khan is a multidisciplinary visual artist. A hearing and speech challenged youth, he won the bronze medal at the International Snow Sculpture Championship as part of Team Snow India twice.
The first thing you notice in Suhail Muhammad Khan’s hostel room at the University of Kashmir is the silence. The second is his work. Drawings, sketches, and paintings cover the walls. Clay sculptures rest on the shelves. Colour boxes, brushes, a canvas stand, and drawing sheets lie scattered across the room.
The 31-year-old cannot speak about what he makes. Yet in silence, he has found a language that expresses his emotions through every line he draws and every form he shapes. “He really speaks through art,” Moomin Rashid, his friend, told DNN24. “Suhail’s work is proof of what you achieve through hard work, patience and consistency.”
Suhail is a hearing and speech challenged multidisciplinary visual artist who turns silence into expression. He grew up in Hanipora, a small hamlet in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. He lost his hearing and speech in early childhood. But that did not stop him pursuing his passion for drawing and painting. There were no formal art lessons or structured training. As years went by, he explored other forms of art, including sculpture, printmaking, snow sculpting, and cake designing. He also dabbles in graphic design and photography.
Suhail has mastered every art he practices, but snow sculpting is what took him to the international stage and gave him the chance to represent India. “He would roll snow and shape figures from it,” said Moomin. Years later, that talent took him from Kashmir to the United States.
In January 2026, Suhail joined the four-member Team Snow India that won a bronze medal at the International Snow Sculpture Championship held in Breckenridge, Colorado, US. The other members of the team included Zahoor Kashmiri, Mridul Upadhyay, and Matt Seeley from the US.
The team carved out their design from a 25-ton, 12-foot block of compacted snow for four days in temperatures of minus 31 degrees Celsius. There were strict rules. No power tools. No internal supports. Only hand tools, skill, and time.
Titled “Corn: The Ultimate Domesticator: Who is truly in control?” the sculpture reimagined the relationship between humans and one of the oldest cultivated crops. It also won the People’s Choice Award, voted by visitors. For Team Snow India, it marked the second consecutive international medal. A year earlier, the team had secured a bronze medal at the same championship. Suhail was part of that team too.
Besides this achievement, Suhail has participated in many national and local competitions and has won numerous awards and recognitions. “Suhail was always more inclined toward practical work,” Moomin said. “He learns by doing. Watching him taught me that art is not just about talent. It is about showing up every day.”
Suhail’s journey was not without challenges. In the beginning, his family did not support his art. They were not sure what he could do with it. “But now they are happy,” Moomin told DNN24. “They have seen where it has taken him.” From doubt to pride, his family has become his strongest support now.
Suhail is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in visual arts at the Institute of Music and Fine Arts, University of Kashmir. In the classroom, he works alongside other students. Outside the classroom, he continues to build his practice on his own terms.
“He is largely a self-taught artist,” said Moomin. “He observes, experiments, and refines. Each failed piece of art becomes a lesson for the next creation.”
Since he met Suhail at the University of Kashmir, Moomin has learned a lot from him. “The best thing about Suhail is that he does not shy away from a challenge,” he said. Moomin and Suhail shared a room in the hostel. Initially, Moomin found it difficult to communicate with Suhail but over time, he learned his sign language.
In a world that constantly speaks, Moomin said, Suhail taught him the value of listening without sound and watching without interruption. “Meeting him was a life-changing lesson for me,” said Moomin. “I learned that no matter the challenges, with passion, hard work, and consistency, you can achieve anything. He never spoke a word, yet he taught me more than any lecture ever could.”
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