Label TextPakistani-American artist Shazia Sikander is known for innovating a style of art that she has termed the “neo-miniature”—a reimagination of the traditional art of Indo-Persian miniature painting. Using traditional materials and techniques, Sikander enlarges, abstracts, and subverts various motifs of the miniature and often integrates feminist themes in a medium that has typically been the realm of male artists and subjects. This print is an excellent example of Sikander’s approach. It depicts imagery from the Gulshan-i ‘Ishq (Rose Garden of Love), an eighteenth-century illustrated manuscript that uses a garden including fruit trees, winding paths, and lush foliage to symbolize the obstacles faced by two lovers. Sikander’s print is intentionally open-ended, inviting viewers to imagine what story may be unfolding. According to Sikander: “The term ‘disruption’ in the title is a catalyst—through disruption to locate something unexpected.”
DimensionsSheet: 21 x 14 in. (53.3 x 35.6 cm)
Image: 16 x 9 in. (40.6 x 22.9 cm)
Image: 16 x 9 in. (40.6 x 22.9 cm)
Accession Number 2025.5
Classificationsprint
SignedShahzia Sikander 2024 (l,r graphite)
Inscriptions13/35 (l,l graphite)
Edition13/35
ProvenanceArtist (Pace Prints); Des Moines Art Center [purchased from previous, 2025]
