Hiba Schahbaz: Self Portraits

When I first entered the gallery the first major theme that I saw Hiba Schahbaz explore was the male gaze. Everywhere I walked I saw her eyes stared and I saw her in the nude either adorned in pearls or nature laying by her side but one thing remained the same.... it was her calm stare. The large scale paintings caught my attention because I can feel her presence even more and the weight of her message towards the audience. The medium Schahbaz used allowed me to see her wild expressive brush strokes in some of her paintings while in others I was able to observe how she carefully created very clean lines that defined her face and other parts of the paintings. For example, Schahbaz very carefully paints very fine eyelashes and eyebrows almost as if she were there in person. The artist carefully makes sure the colors of her iris, pupil, and sclera remain intact and unmixed in each painting. In the exhibition, Hiba Schahbaz addresses patriarchy which is something that continues to infest in her culture as a Pakistan woman and in the Western culture. It's interesting to see a woman of her position openly paint herself nude, which is something that is not highly encouraged in her culture and in the Western culture.Despite being the subject and the artist, Schahbaz is still able to break boundaries by replicating poses of female figures that were painted from men with ease.In one painting, the artist defiantly closes her eyes and blissfully lays there unconcerned of what the audience may think of her and her hair is no longer covering her body but is relaxed.A few wisps of hair escape and rest on her arm. Being able to see her work in person allowed me to appreciate the little details she added to every painting and have a personal connection to the artist and her work. When visiting a museum the audience can appreciate small and intricate details the artist has dedicate during the artistic process.I believe being able to see paintings at a museum rather than online allows the audience to step into another world and allow themselves to absorb the artist's message more intimately and for the audience to be able connect within themselves on a more profound level. When I entered the museum I was thinking about all the things I had to do and everyday things. But the second I was able to step into the exhibition, everything was erased with the presence of the artwork and the silence that surrounded it.