Bio
Heraa Khan (b. 1989) is a contemporary visual artist and art instructor from Lahore, Pakistan. She has conducted classes on miniature painting in New York and Texas, USA and has taught a course on miniature painting at the International Summer Academy of Salzburg, Austria.
After being awarded a scholarship, Khan completed her Bachelors in Fine arts at National College of Arts (NCA) in 2012, specializing in miniature painting. She has had several solo exhibitions and has participated in significant group shows, nationally and internationally. She received the Ruth Katzman scholarship for a residency at the Art Student's League Residency at Vyt, NY, USA and was awarded a residency at the Bone Black Gallery, Texas, USA in 2016.
Artist Statement | You Selfish Dreamer
Heraa Khan’s collection is a rich and lavish portrayal of luxury defined by an underlying conscious-ness of redundancy of such a lifestyle. In her work the vulnerability and fragility of life is glossed over by a veneer of exaggerated, narcissistic pampering of self.
The dominant gold is accentuated by a halo of delicate floral pattern in a fine blend of color. Specializing in the traditional techniques of Mughal and Persian miniature painting Khan uses natu-ral pigments, kalam and wasli. The kalam is a handcrafted brush that the painter assembles herself for fine pardakht and Wasli paper another handcrafted essential used as the surface. 24K gold leaf is improvised to serve as a medium that connects the gilded extravaganza of the metal with the lavish lifestyle.
