Hiba Schahbaz

Pakistani-American, b. 1981

@hiba_schahbaz

Born in Pakistan, Schahbaz studied Indo-Persian classical painting before coming to the United States in 2010.

Formally trained in the centuries-old tradition of Indo-Persian
painting, Hiba Schahbaz works with imagery predominately developed and practiced by men, and recontextualizes it to embrace women’s perspectives. She uses photographs of her body as visual references for works that echo the stylized figures and landscapes of Islamic art.

Featuring two women in an idyllic scene, Moon Dance imbues the composition and motifs of miniature painting with a distinct femininity that ushers the historical genre into the contemporary era.