RABIA RIZVI, PAKISTANI-CANADIAN

My paintings are imaginary landscapes that convey underlying socio-political themes.

I create in the style of the traditional 16th- and 17th-century Persian and Mughal miniatures I studied in Lahore’s National College of Arts (NCA) under the guidance of Ustad Bashir Ahmad. Intricate, detailed, decorative, and colourful, these paintings were usually illustrations in valuable manuscripts. (Art historians termed them “miniatures” because of their small size.)

I’ve always loved painting landscapes, and continued to depict the beauty of the world after moving to Canada in the late 90s. But more recent world events—the separation of immigrant Mexican children from their parents in the USA, India’s invasion of Kashmir, the war in Gaza—utterly changed my perspective. I became aware of the increasing imbalance between rich and poor, powerful and weak, oppressed and oppressor. And the way so-called “champions of human rights” often turn a blind eye to horrific events.

My work now portrays this widening social divide, focusing on the “other”—those weaker communities unable to escape their fate. To do this, I use a variety of symbols: the colour red and bird feathers (death), trees and water (life), toys (children), fish (freedom within a confined space), roots (protection), and certain animals and birds to depict either predators (snakes and hawks) or prey.

But I also add some elements just for the viewer to ask questions, and to wonder.

Each of my landscapes has a story to tell. I invite you to meet their inhabitants.

Curator’s Note: Click on CREATIVE PROCESS for a step-by-step description of how Rabia creates her amazing landscape miniatures.