Shahzia Sikander - (Contemporary Painters) by Jason Rosenfeld (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This publication covers the entirety of the multivalent art of Pakistan-born American artist Shahzia Sikander (b.1969), with a particular focus on her painting. It contextualises her art within her early education in Lahore, move to America in 1993, and then her establishment in the New York art world since 1997.

Sikander's work is among the most thought-provoking and ambitious in the contemporary art world. Initially transforming the traditional form of miniature painting, she pioneered what is now recognised as the Neo-Miniature movement, and over the past 20 years has sought to diversify a predominant Eurocentricity in contemporary art. Her paintings, video animations, mosaics and sculptures interweave historical and contemporary ideas about narrative, gender, trade, empire, and diaspora while centring on women's lives. This book considers the scope of Sikander's considerable ambition and achievement.

Review Quotes

'A scintillating and mesmerizing volume of Shahzia's pioneering and feminist work that brings together beauty of form, depth of thought and the awe-inspiring wizardry of an artistic genius. A pleasure to read and behold.' - Rafia Zakaria

'Shahzia Sikander's vision is at once singular and expansive. In this beautifully illustrated book, Jason Rosenfeld reflects the breadth of her achievement, mining her critical reflection on disparate cultural traditions and her engagement with diverse and potent contemporary and historical subjects, while emphasising her consistent formal rigour and technical prowess across many media.' - Ben Luke, critic and host of the A brush with... podcast

'Shahzia Sikander is one of the most groundbreaking artists working today, subverting tradition and art history through women's narratives.' - Katy Hessel, author of The Story of Art Without Men

About the Author

Jason Rosenfeld is Professor of Art History at Marymount Manhattan College, New York, and Senior Writer and Editor-at-Large at Brooklyn Rail.