Born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1981, Hiba Schahbaz trained in traditional Indo-Persian miniature painting at the National College of Arts, Lahore. Since migrating to the United States, Schahbaz has challenged the rigorous rules of Miniature Painting to embrace a female perspective, while also creating space and representation for those who have so often been left out of Western art. Schahbaz’s practice has expanded from miniature to human-scale paintings that depict female bodies, while referencing self-portraiture. Schahbaz works primarily with paper, black tea, and water-based pigments, specifically using tea to connect to South Asian culture. Hiba Schahbaz received an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute and has exhibited internationally since 2002, and is currently exhibiting at the Rockefeller Center, New York