Lubna Agha is a South Asian artist at the forefront of modern Islamic and contemporary Asian art. She has exhibited in art museums and galleries throughout the world, in her homeland, Pakistan, as well as Britain, Japan, Jordan, Switzerland, and the United States. Whereas revival of miniature paintings and calligraphy characterizes much of modern Asian and Islamic art, Agha’s latest paintings draw inspiration from Asian and Islamic architecture and from traditional Muslim crafts such as woodcarving, metalworking, and textile-production.

 

She draws from Muslim cultures as geographically disparate as southern Asia and northern Africa. Intricate architectural forms and design motifs suggested by the meditative and ornamental qualities of unique historical handicrafts are evident in her paintings.

 

Her process is a dialogue with her personal history. She works mainly on canvas and wood, applying thousands of painted pixels and organic shapes that evoke mosaic tiling, intricate carvings, and ornate metalwork. The work is not constrained in the rigid constructions of a traditional Islamic heritage.

 

Her work is part of the permanent collections at the Asian Collection at Bradford Museum, UK, National Council of the Arts, Pakistan, and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Jordan. As one of the leading South Asian artists and Pakistani women artists, Agha has already earned her place in art history.

 

Agha lives and works in Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.A.