Important Notice

Exhibited at Shazia Sikander's first solo show in New York, the present lot reflect the artist's unique adaptation of traditional miniature painting techniques. "Sikander often tells the story about how she was the first student in ten years to ask to concentrate on miniature painting when she enrolled at Lahore's National College of Arts in 1987. Sikander's reinvention of miniature painting inspired numerous others to follow and now the... Exhibited at Shazia Sikander's first solo show in New York, the present lot reflect the artist's unique adaptation of traditional miniature painting techniques. "Sikander often tells the story about how she was the first student in ten years to ask to concentrate on miniature painting when she enrolled at Lahore's National College of Arts in 1987. Sikander's reinvention of miniature painting inspired numerous others to follow and now the department has about thirty students. The way that Sikander uses the miniature tradition as a structure for visual diversity reflects the multicultural traditions of Pakistan. The culture incorporates both Muslim and Hindu elements and the strong influence of Persia. There is also the legacy of the British Colonial period. Sikander's work, like contemporary Pakistani society, has elements that are Muslim, Hindu, Persian, Indian and European. Sikander points out how she incorporates such things as Celtic imagery in her work. A careful unraveling of her work reveals dialogues with many unexpected visual sources" ("Shazia Sikander: Murals and Miniatures", Deitch Art Projects press release, 1997).

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site