Aaliyah Gupta received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1990 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia in 1986. She has lived and worked in India, Denmark and the USA and traveled extensively throughout the world. Her works range from painted landscapes that serve as metaphors for political upheaval to large abstract charcoal drawings that are deeply personal. She has exhibited her work in Denmark and the United States. Aaliyah is deeply committed to social change work and is actively involved in the struggle to end violence against women and immigrant rights and civil liberties campaigns. She was the founding Executive Director of Chaya, an organization working to end domestic violence in South Asian communities, and led Chaya through the transition from a small, volunteer-run effort to an organization with multiple programs, and a strong presence in King County. Aaliyah has served on the Board of the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Seattle Womens Commission and Board of OneAmerica. She is currently serving on the Board of Chaya and sits on the Tsutakawa Gallery Advisory Committee at the Wing Luke Asian Museum.