Shahzia Sikander (b. 1969)

Shahzia Sikander studied traditional miniature paintings at the National College of Arts, Lahore where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1992. Several years later, Sikander attended the Rhode Island School of Design and relocated permanently in New York. Combining elements of both Rajput and Persian miniatures, Sikander has experimented greatly with material, technique, size and medium to create a highly personalised style of miniature painting. Her works often address her own struggle with isssues of identity, as a muslim woman in a western country; tackling the stereotypes that are expected of her.