A Pakistani/American artist, Hiba Schahbaz depicts women’s bodies while referencing self-portraiture, working primarily with paper, black tea, and water-based pigments.
Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Schahbaz currently lives and works in
Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from
Schahbaz is known for contemporary paintings that invoke classical styles. Her work is a bold assertion of the right to claim and occupy space, both figuratively and literally, seeking to create a space for herself and other women to tell their stories and reclaim their histories. Her female figures are depicted communing with nature and with other women, and tending to themselves.
Featured image: Hiba Schahbaz - Dancing, 2020
(detail). Watercolor, gouache, tea and gold leaf on handmade paper. 12 1/4 × 9
3/4 in. 31.1 × 24.8 cm. Photo courtesy Miles McEnery Gallery