Extra Credit / Hiba Schahbaz

Hiba Schahbaz is a Pakistani artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Schahbaz is well known for miniature painting, which she studied at National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan. She later earned her MFA in painting from Pratt Institute. Her solo exhibition Hiba Schahbaz: Self Portraits at the Project for Empty Space gallery in Newark, New Jersey is just one of the many places her work has been presented.

The themes explored in the exhibition, and in much of her work overall, are female identity, "the gaze", destruction, personal freedom, censorship and sexuality by uncovering the beauty, strength, and fragility of the female form. Schahbaz says, "I use the female figure to unfold a narrative that transcends cultural and political boundaries. I tell my own story while heavily embellishing it with imagination and metaphor. And although the protagonist in the work is me, she also carries a dual, existential meaning. I often use the female form as a tool, portraying thoughts and concerns from socio-cultural and political realms."

The work addresses gender through its literal representation of the female form, and conceptually through Schahbaz's reproductions of imagery originally done my men. These reproductions reflect the female perspective that lacked in the originals done by men. Her work also addresses the lack of female perspective in the art form that is miniature painting. Schahbaz's challenging of "the gaze" and its dominance in society is a way of addressing patriarchy and its influence. This challenging of traditional ways is complimented by the medium and scale of her works. Some of her paintings are not with traditional paint. Self Portrait as Leda for example, was made with tea, ink, and watercolor. And some of them are truly large indeed. So large that one almost has to "gaze" at it for an extended period of time to really take in the visual.

Hiba Schahbaz. Self Portrait as Leda. 2016

                       
I think the venue adds to the message of the work. The gallery is in a communal area where a vast amount of people are passing by on a daily basis. The gallery also has glass windows, which I think takes the gaze to another level. As the audience views her work, they could also potentially be viewed depending on where they stand within the gallery. The spectator becomes the spectated.

Seeing an artist's work in person is often important, depending on what the work is, and the experience associated with viewing the work. I think viewing the work of Schahbaz in person was important because you get a clearer look at how scale and medium play a role in her work. And as I stated before, the gallery's location and glass windows add another layer of complexity to the overall viewing experience and assessment of the gaze she addresses in her work. Whether this was intentional or not, I can't say for sure, but I think it plays a significant role.