Jaiheer Rogers
Art and Women History
April 29, 2017
Extra Credit Hiba Schahbaz

For the extra credit assignment I visited the Empty Space Gallery in Newark of Hiba Schahbaz self portraits. I enjoyed looking at her extravagant works. Hiba Schahbaz works focus on her own female figure to unfold cultural and political boundaries. Hiba Schahbaz said "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(p.2)." Her works addresses feminism movement. She is both the artist and uses her own body to express and help influence the message she intends to convey. She photograph  However the exhibit has all her famous works in a spacious gallery with a lot of walking space. 

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 she create she shows what it means to be a women. A women These works addresses issues of personal freedom, destruction, sexuality and censorship by unveiling the beauty, fragility and strength of the female form(p.1).

She managed to tell her own personalwhile heavily embellishing it with imagination and metaphor.  She often use the female form as a tool, portraying thoughts and concerns from socio-cultural and political realms(p.2). When visiting her work in person the audience can have a personal connection woth the small details that hold subluminal messages to paint a vivid picture.  She inspire females to self express them selves with confiedence in the art world.

All her work is vividly colorful, in which she pursue the world of the beautiful in her work, resulting in visually appealing paintings. This delicate allure is underscored. Things are not quite what they seem. 

    Works Citied

http://www.hibaschahbaz.com/about/

Gateway Empty Space Gallery Hiba Self Portraits