Wielding the soul of cogent storytelling and channeling divine feminine energy is the quintessence of Hiba Schahbaz‘s artistry.
As a self-proclaimed artist and performer, Schahbaz adopts an Indo-Persian painting style originating from a very masculine geared worldview of centuries ago. She establishes incredible strides with harnessing this technique in order to illuminate the histories of women and their perspectives. Having studied miniature painting at the National College of Arts, Lahore, the artist takes pride in confronting and challenging the rigidness of such practice to bring forth a metamorphosed design.
Schahbaz’s work evokes such as adeptness and enlightenment, considering the use of mediums such as tea, watercolor, gouache, and gold leaves. These elements are beautifully mingled and mastered to yield a painting that recalls the historical era of art yet permeated by contemporary, feminine vigor. Tender, mighty, intimate, lively, and wildly vivid. Schahbaz paints with references of her own body, tethering herself even closer to her works as she paints a radiant narrative that unites her with women of the past, present, and future.
Her body of work exists as a stratified being, laden in imagination and metaphor as Schahbaz puts it. The philosophy behind the female figure is that empowers Schahbaz to tell her own story while also streamlining ideologies in regard to politics and society. The end result is a truly captivating work of art that bridges the past and present, in hopes of bringing about a way for amplified expression for women of the future.
INFORMATION
All images with courtesy of Hiba Schahbaz
