Adler Beatty is pleased to present Magical Creatures, an exhibition featuring the work of Karachi-born artist Hiba Schahbaz alongside Western European illuminated manuscripts, rare books, and objects, created between the 14th and 19th centuries from private collections and Les Enluminures. The show will be on view from April 24 - June 20, 2025. The gallery will host an opening reception on Thursday, April 24th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
Schahbaz, trained in traditional Indo-Persian miniature painting, uses that approach to explore cross-cultural mythology and the female perspective. This presentation of unique works features watercolors on handmade, tea-stained paper, boxes, and books. Enlarged, life-size versions of figures and botanicals from the miniatures are incorporated into a site-specific installation of cut-paper mermaids in a lush environment. While Schahbaz works in a variety of scales and mediums, her paintings retain a striking intimacy. Their subtle hues and elegant detail are rooted in rigor, discipline, and patience, the culmination of years of study and tradition.
Illuminated manuscripts were handwritten religious texts, historical records, and literary works created in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Characteristically, they include ornate borders, intricate typography, and gold leaf embellishments that catch the light to create transcendent moments of illumination and reverence, reinforcing the spiritual or authoritative weight of the texts. One notable genre of illuminated manuscripts, the Bestiary, draws a prescient parallel with Schahbaz’s work, both utilizing animals and mythical creatures.
Schahbaz claims space for female narratives within what is a historically male-dominated form, infusing personal mythology into each work. Works such as Self Portrait with Lion (2024) depict women in profile alongside powerful beasts. The flora surrounding them often spills beyond the frame, and bodies flow with their surroundings, their curves contrasting the geometric borders. By bridging the meticulous craft of manuscript illumination with contemporary themes, Magical Creatures highlights the enduring power of visual storytelling. Whether through the delicate layering of pigments or the fluidity of mythical imagery, Schahbaz’s work underscores the universal appeal of manuscripts across cultures. At a time when digital media dominates, her practice reaffirms the importance of preserving and reimagining tactile, centuries-old traditions. In illuminating these stories anew, Schahbaz invites us to consider the boundless narratives that lie within the ornate margins of history and art.
Magical Creatures revels in the delicacy and technical mastery displayed throughout the Illuminated Manuscripts and miniatures, while also offering a subversion of authorship and perspective. Schahbaz’s participation in this foregone tradition offers a unique opportunity for contemporary audiences to experience these ornate microcosms in a new context.
