At the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, “Hiba Schahbaz: The Garden” marks the Karachi-born, Brooklyn-based artist’s first major retrospective. Curated by Jasmine Wahi, the exhibition gathers over 80 works spanning fifteen years—from tea-based miniatures to large-scale oils and paper cutouts—expanding the Indo-Persian tradition across new forms. Framed through the lens of the jannat, or “Paradise Garden,” it explores transformation, nature, and care through myth, memory, and femininity.
Hiba Schahbaz Portrait, courtesy of artist, photo by Charlie Rubin.
Hiba Schahbaz, “The Women,” 2016, watercolor and tea on handmade paper, courtesy of the artist.
WHITEWALLER: “The Garden” marks your first-ever museum survey, gathering over 80 works created across fifteen years. What was it like to revisit earlier pieces alongside new ones—and what connections or evolutions stood out to you in seeing them together?
HIBA SCHAHBAZ: Revisiting an old painting often feels like hearing a song I once loved. I experience the emotional memory of the work before I ‘see’ it. In the process of intentionally looking at artwork spanning 15 years, I’ve observed themes phase in and out, sometimes disappearing or evolving into something new entirely. I’ll witness a seed that was planted and dismissed many years ago, to find
new meaning and growth in a different time. That is the beauty of creation, I suppose. Nothing is wasted, and the process feeds itself.
I enjoyed revisiting my brief focus on architectural spaces. This was soon after moving to New York, when I was experiencing a different culture and a different way of being. During this time, I painted The Guard, which is reminiscent of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and The Guard (Night Sky), which is closer in form to a New York skyscraper. I began painting them both in 2015 while I made sense of the new physical space around me.
Similarly, I’ve enjoyed seeing my paintings of interior spaces, which often portray a contemplation of my inner life. The Artist’s Studio is a theme that I repaint yearly. It often depicts a physical space while showing the more alchemical process of creation. I love observing the changes that occur in this series of paintings. For me, these are some of the strongest markers of change and illustrate the passing of time.
Hiba Schahbaz, “Self Portrait as Grand Odalisque (after Ingres),” 2016, tea, watercolor, ink and gouache on earth stained paper, 60 x 83 in, courtesy of the artist.
WW: Where do you typically start with a work? Has it evolved since some of the earlier pieces on view?
HS: The process of painting a miniature is ritualistic and multi-layered. The paper and brushes are handmade, and the colors are mixed in shells. Typically, the figure is drawn in, and the rest of the painting comes to life around it.
Over time, my very detailed process of planning a painting on vellum and transferring it gently onto handmade paper has become much looser. I no longer try to control the process or plan the painting beforehand. My starting point is usually a figure or a feeling, and I allow it to unfold, making space for the image to reveal itself. Life and art have both taught me to let go of control and surrender to the flow.
” I no longer try to control the process or plan the painting beforehand,”
-Hiba Schahbaz
Hiba Schahbaz Portrait, 2025, courtesy of Moca, photo by Meiying Thai.
WW: Your practice bridges miniature painting traditions from Lahore with large-scale, contemporary compositions. How do you see the dialogue between these two visual languages unfolding within The Garden?
HS: There’s a sense of responsibility that comes with carrying forward a disappearing tradition. I felt this deeply as a miniaturist and dedicated myself solely to painting miniatures for many years. The large paintings existed in my imagination long before I began to actually paint them.
I find all my artworks across mediums to be intrinsically connected. One way of creating fuels and breathes new life into another. In this show, I see a miniature of a mermaid evolve into an installation of mermaid cutouts on paper. Both are explorations of the same subject and inform each other. The rules of miniature painting, the flatness of the bodies, the irreverent perspective, the stylized flora and fauna find their way off the page and onto the wall.
I witnessed a similar dialogue between Rebirth, a small dragon painting, evolving into a large oil painting, and from there into a free-standing sculptural work in wood.
Hiba Schahbaz, “In My Heart,” 2020, tea, gold leaf and watercolor on wasli, 17 x 21 in, courtesy of the artist.
Hiba Schahbaz, “Two Moons,” 2019, watercolor, tea, gouache and gold leaf on wasli, 13 x 11 in, courtesy of the artist.
WW: You’ve described your work as deeply personal, reflecting both transformation and reclamation. How has your own migration and lived experience as a woman informed the mythology, figures, and landscapes that populate your paintings?
HS: My visual language is rooted in Indo-Persian miniature painting, where beauty is revered and great importance is given to detail. Figures, plants, and animals are stylized to represent reality but are not painted realistically. Bodies are painted softly, with no visible bones or shadows. Perspective is whimsical, and colors are brighter than they are in real life. These small paintings often have a narrative that must be looked at up close, as their details are imbued with meaning.
Upon moving to New York, I began studying Western art history, and over time, my vocabulary expanded to include the beautifully painted Venuses and Olympias I saw in museums and books. These artworks showed me different ways of engaging with form and color. My experience of the East and the West merged and informs how I paint today.
When I look back at an older body of work, it feels like a map. Each painting holds the memory of the time it was made, reflecting my journey and creating new spaces for contemplation and transformation.
WW: Outside of your exhibition at MOCA North Miami, what are you looking forward to seeing and doing in Miami in December?
HS: I love visiting Miami in December to share space with our vibrant community of creative people. The Art Basel preview is always a highlight, as much about seeing friends as it is about seeing some amazing art. I always stop by Victoria Miro and James Cohan for inspiration.
Also on the agenda is The Cultivist’s annual artist lunch with Kennedy Yanko and BMW at 1Hotel, a much-needed respite from the hustle and bustle of art week. No trip is complete without a visit to the Rubell Museum to see new work by their artist in residence, and of course, the ICA. This year, I’m also excited to see my friend Asif Hoque’s exhibition “My Sunshine” at Mindy Solomon Gallery.
What to Know
Hiba Schahbaz, “The Guard,” 2015-2025, gouache, gold leaf and watercolor on wasli, 49 x 42 in, courtesy of the artist.
Hiba Schahbaz, “Army of Peace,” 2013 -20**, tea, gouache, watercolor and gold leaf on wasli, 39 x 47 in, courtesy of the artist.
Don’t Miss
Delicate tea-based miniatures to monumental oil paintings and paper cutouts—united in a vibrant, immersive exploration of the Paradise Garden and the feminine divine.
Why It Matters
Schahbaz reimagines the jannat—or “Paradise Garden”—as a living metaphor for transformation, healing, and the sacred relationship between art and nature.
Dates
On view through March 15, 2026.
Venue
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA)
Curator
Jasmine Wahi.
