Extra Credit- Hiba Schahbaz: Self Portraits

Remred Falcon
Professor Cacoilo
29 April 2017 

The Gateway Projects/Project For Empty Space Gallery: Hiba Schahbaz: Self Portraits

"ABOUT." Hiba Schahbaz. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.     

     Brooklyn based artist, Hiba Schahbaz was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. She received her BFA from the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan and proceeded to get her MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Schahbaz states 

"I speak an ancient language in a contemporary feminine voice. Trained in the centuries- old traditional Indo-Persian painting technique, working with imagery developed by men to tell the stories of antiquity, I aim to challenge the inflexible rules of miniature painting and recontextualize the art form to accept and embrace a female perspective." 

"In my work, I am both the artist and the performer. I photograph my body and use these images as references for my paintings. Through the stories I create I contemplate what it means to be a woman. The works addresses issues of personal freedom, destruction, sexuality and censorship by unveiling the beauty, fragility and strength of the female form."

     I will be the first to say that through the research that was done in order to complete the assignments given throughout the semester, the information I take away from this class never fails to enlighten me with something new. I recently went to Project For Empty Space to visit the Self Portraits exhibition curated by Hiba Schahbaz. I passed by many galleries in Barcelona, Spain but was kind of intimidated to enter. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to visit the GRAB BACK: PES Feminist Incubator Space. These are impromptu short-term residences, conversations, performances, and public discourses that highlight empowerment and freedom of women.

     She explores the theme of defying the traditional way of viewing a woman's roles in society. During Schahbaz's preteen years she began to pick up a paint brush and paint. She was interested in painting the female nude. Interestingly enough since she was born into a conservative Muslim family it was nearly impossible for her to find someone who would pose bare for her. So she began to use herself as the subject of her portraits. If she had painted these portraits of just her face they would not be as controversial, but because she identified her face accompanied with her body there was a lot of trouble that she brought to her family. Judgement was what she was doomed for due to the traditional way of viewing a women's role in society.

     Women never took on the role of painting other women nude. She was trained in a Indo-Persian male-dominated way of painting miniatures. As she began to transition to finding her own self-identity she moved to Brooklyn where interestingly enough she began to feel safe, safe enough to paint her own face. The culture in which she was born into definitely gave her strength to find a sense of belonging elsewhere. As she began to practice art and claim her identity she soon broke away from the traditional Muslim culture. She first began by painting female nudes that did not exist as well as her defying prohibition, she owned her identity with no fear.

     As I entered the exhibition I came across art work that varied in size ranging from triple my size in height and width or a simple yet detailed sheet of paper. Despite her using Indo-Persian style that is more focused on flattened surfaces, she puts a twist to miniatures because she stretches the paintings from floor to ceiling. However where in the East the female nude did not exist, the female nude certainly was prominent in the West. The female nude is certainly used in the West in order to stimulate the male gaze. However, where there is a male gaze that is considered in simple everyday commercials. Schahbaz takes her portraits to another level by instilling the "female gaze".

     She was trained in Indo-Persian miniaturist style. Traditionally speaking this specialty was dominated by male artists. In her paintings she gazes back at herself, "she gazes back at herself, finally able to make direct eye contact with the person who had been faceless for years". As she was a women who was born into Pakistanian culture, her identity was shaped by everyone else in her society. the rules in her culture stripped her of her indiv

iduality. There was no such thing as self-expression for her considering that she is a Woman. She resides in Brooklyn where she says women are so powerful. She takes pride in being able to have your own opinions, own thoughts, and lives.

    When I entered the exhibition there was something so empowering about her portraits. Hiba Schahbaz: Self Portraits depict pure beauty in my opinion. They appeals to the sensual and spiritual aspects of humanity. In a number of her portraits nature is present. There is something so pure about a women being nude in nature that showed her vulnerability but strength at the same time.

     Through my enrollment in Art and Women I have become more familiar with the male gaze. To be completely honest, this is a topic that I never really paid much mind to due to my absence of knowledge. After observing her art work at the gallery I began to pull pieces together. Most of her artwork also question the history of men assuming control of women and their bodies. She speaks a lot about accepting herself. She did not grow up in a culture in which feminism was active. All she was taught was one way of thinking, doing, and feeling. Through her mediums of artwork she has embraced her own being.

     I observed the different mediums she painted with. She uses Wasli which is a handmade paper made specifically for Wasil painting. She's particularly likes to work with Neem and rang which is tea and watercolor. She makes most of her materials and she feels a sense of connectivity due to her making the materials in which she paints with.

     I noticed a variety of color that was present. It is interpreting that through research I was able to discover that she paints with the colors in which she likes rather than what the painting may call for. For example, just because tree leaves realistically are different shades of green, she does not necessarily paint them green for that reason. She essentially uses the colors in which she has a soft spot for and through her organic work they somehow blend together.

     A key point that I would like to note most specifically in regards to my visit to the exhibition is in most of her portraits she peers over her shoulder while in a regal repose. Her lucious hair that to me signifies fertility wraps around her body and her pearls serve as a literal choker. She attempted to recreate this pose and mentioned that the position is so unrealistic. Most of her portraits are replicas of the poses that men had painted of women. But she has come to see that those prototype are not realistic. This point confirms that the masterpieces created by men were just based off of their opinion on how they wanted women to be. 

Sources:

"ABOUT." Hiba Schahbaz. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Frank, Priscilla. "Muslim Artist's Dreamy Nude Self-Portraits Show The Power Of Self-Love." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

"See Venus Rising in the Self Portraits of Hiba Schahbaz." CraveOnline. N.p., 13 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.