Contemporary Asian Artist Ⅲ: Contemporary Miniature Paintings from Pakistan

Miniature painting in Asia developed from manuscript painting in Islamic culture in South and West Asia. It enjoyed the prosperity during the Mughal period (16-19th century), the empire that united the whole of India.  Although the tradition ebbed away in India, it thrived in the Islamic nation of Pakistan.  In the 1990’s young artists started making progressive miniature paintings taking new subject matters and using new methods in their works.  Contemporary miniatures reflect a range of political and social concerns as well as contemporary life, in different styles and experiments in space.

This time, as the third chapter of the exhibition series focusing on contemporary Asian artists,  Ms. Virginia Whiles, an art historian/ critic/ researcher on miniature paintings based in London, acts as guest curator.  Sixty works by nineteen artists are shown to introduce the trends in contemporary Pakistani miniature paintings.