(On left)
Hasnat Mehmood
Crumpled Paper Series: Shah Jahan on Horse 2022-2023
Graphite on paper
Gouache heightened with gold on wasli
29 x 30 1/2 in. (50.8 x 77.47 cm.)
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
NEW YORK—Paper Shield seeks to understand fragility, disrepair, and quiet conviction in the works of Pakistan-born, US-based contemporary artist Hasnat Mehmood (b. 1978). Raising graphite and paintbrush to paper, Mehmood questions the grand narratives of history, testing the boundary between reduplication and satire.
In attempting to discover, document, and critique the sociopolitical history of Pakistan, Mehmood turns to subtle iconography—a paper shield, thin as a veil, yet opaque enough to formulate an aesthetic thesis. This paradoxical act of balancing fragility and assertion finds expression in the large-scale “miniatures” of his Crumpled Paper Series (20222023). Mehmood meets the audience in the very moment after he curiously balls up museum-owned (and fictively constructed) miniatures in clenched fists. New portrayals of historical figures and canonical scenes emerge—crumpled, but not entirely tarnished.
While museums aim to preserve the material integrity of these delicate works, Mehmood’s agenda is not one of repair but one of disrepair and fragmentation. Make Your Own Fighter Jet (2003) exemplifies this by presenting a playful yet broken outline of a paper jet hovering above a group of crows, inspired from Farid ud-Din Attar’s Persian poem, The Conference of the Birds. The composition, designed as if made within
the pages of a notebook to mimic a stream-of-consciousness, evokes the idea of taking flight, whether mechanical or spiritual. Regardless of his decision to crumple or disrupt his images, Mehmood prioritizes memory over history.
In Dancing Girl? (2017), Mehmood references the history of colonial archaeology to destabilize it, rendering the renowned prehistoric bronze figure in thousands of circular graphite marks and throwing doubt upon the titular assumption of her posture. Drawing on meticulous techniques gained in a formal education in miniature painting, Mehmood seeks to approach the weight of tradition with the light-footed urgency of his present message.
Paper Shield provides a handbook for social critique by way of ironic dissent, instructing not how to repair society, but how to critique its points of fracture from behind the “shield” of recognizable miniature conventions—perhaps only from behind such a shield can the idea of distrusting institutional histories be proposed. Embodying a certain vulnerability in his practice, Mehmood’s shield proves to be paper-thin; nonetheless, its potency is undeniable.
Kapoor Galleries is proud to present Paper Shield, an exhibition of contemporary miniatures and other works on paper by Hasnat Mehmood, opening on July 31, 2025.
Paper Shield opens on July 31, 2025, and will be on view at Kapoor Galleries through August 31, 2025. The gallery will also feature a curated selection of historical artworks from its private collection to be displayed in dialogue with Mehmood’s works, offering a rich perspective on the evolution of artistic language through the ages.
Kapoor Galleries info@kapoors.com (212) 888-2257 34 East 67th Street, Floor 3, New York, NY, 10065
Hasnat Mehmood Dancing Girl? 2017
Graphite on clay board 24 x 36 in. (60.96 x 91.44 cm.)
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Exhibited:
Ali, Atteqa, curator. Back to the Future: History and Contemporary Art in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Twelve Gates Arts, Philadelphia, 6 Oct.–11 Nov. 2017.
Hasnat Mehmood
Make Your Own Jetfighter 2023
Gouache, tea wash on wasli 9 ⅞ x 9 ⅞ in. (25 x 25 cm.)
Signed and dated in ink, Nastaliq script [Hasnat]
Inscribed, lower margin: “Instructions: Cut the front wings, tail wings, and the jet body with the scissors. Now fold the two corresponding halves of the jet body.”
Exhibited:
“Playing with a Loaded Gun” Curated by Atteqa Ali, Apexart Gallery, New York, (September 6 - October 4, 2003).
Published:
Ali, Atteqa. Playing with a Loaded Gun: Contemporary Art in Pakistan, 6.9 - 4.10.2003. New York, Apexart New York, 2004, (p. 15).
Khalid, Aisha, et al., editors. Karkhana: A Contemporary Collaboration. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum/Green Cardamom, 15 Aug. 2005, (p. 104).
Love in the Time of Chaos, 3 2004
Mixed media (gouache, tea wash and digital print with incisions) 14.2 x 11.1 in. (36.07 x 28.19 cm.
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Signed and dated on verso in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Kapoor Galleries
Princess Strolling Across a Palace Terrace at Night Lucknow, Awadh, India, circa 18th century
Gouache heightened with gold on paper
Image: 7 1/8 x 4 7/8 in.
(18.1 x 12.4 cm.)
Folio: 17 x 12 in. (43.2 x 30.5 cm.)
Provenance:
Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, September 30, 1969
(documentation available upon request).
This exquisite miniature painting from 18th-century Lucknow embodies the refinement and poetic sensibility of late-Mughal and Awadhi courtly aesthetics. The composition depicts a princess walking barefoot across a palace terrace late at night in an intimate moment, engaged in an act of quiet contemplation with a subtle sense of resolve. The artist employs a darkened background to evoke the enveloping night sky, enhancing the luminosity of the central figure whose delicate features, dress, and jewelry gleam in contrast. Awadhi miniatures often incorporate a diverse range of painting techniques, with specific interest in the interplay of light and shadow, as well as a more precise rendering of volume and spatial depth.
The miniature painting is encased by a large vibrant yellow and red floral border, its repeating pattern heightened with gold leaf. The verso of the painting includes a panel of Arabic-Persian calligraphy in Nastaliq script with a floral emblem at the top. The panel is surrounded by a dark green border speckled with gold leaf throughout.
Signed and dated on verso in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Crumpled Paper Series: Pakistan Zindabad 2022
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Crumpled Paper Series: Jinnah in Cap and Suit 2022
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Hasnat Mehmood
Crumpled Paper Series: Shah Jahan on Terrace Holding a Pendant Set with His Portrait 2022
Graphite on wasli mounted on gesso board
Image: 26 x 20 in. (66 x 50.8 cm.)
Framed: 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61 cm.)
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Kapoor Galleries
Shah Jahan at a Jharokha Window
Mankot or Nurpur, mid-18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Image: 8 x 5 ½ in. (20.3 x 14 cm.)
Folio: 9 x 6 in. (22.9 x 15.2 cm.)
Published:
Pal, Pratapaditya, Romance of the Taj Mahal (Los Angeles County Museum of Art: 1989), p. 234-236, no. 254.
Emperor Shah Jahan is best known for commissioning the grand tomb of the Taj Mahal to memorialize his queen, Mumtaz Mahal, who died prematurely in 1631 from complications in childbirth. He himself was buried with her after his death in 1666.
Here, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan sits in half-length profile at an open window, gazing upward and holding a sprig of blossoms. He wears a transparent jama tied to the right and a gold, pearl and jeweled Mughal pagri with multiple necklaces of gold, pearls and precious gems. Two attendants stand to the left and right on striped carpets, waving peacock morchals.
The color palette of oranges, yellows and greens as well as the broad strokes may suggest a provincial origin in the Punjab Hills, possibly from the orbit of Mankot or Nurpur, as Dr. Pal suggests. Based on execution and color palette, one may discern some influences from folkish traditions in Rajasthan as well, and possibly Sirohi given its vibrant clashing of yellows and oranges. (Translation from M.S. Randhawa, Kangra Paintings on Love, New Delhi, 1962, p.90)
India Trip, 2 (inside left)
Gouache, tea wash, photo transfer and gold on wasli mounted on paper board, bound in book form
29.3 x 9.65 in. (74.42 x 24.51 cm.)
Signed and dated in ink, Nastaliq script [Hasnat Mehmood]
India Trip, 2 (inside right)
Gouache, tea wash, photo transfer and gold on wasli mounted on paper board, bound in book form
29.3 x 9.65 in. (74.42 x 24.51 cm.)
Signed and dated in ink, Nastaliq script [Hasnat Mehmood]
Kapoor Galleries
Illustration to a Rasikapriya series: Krishna Seated with Radha Kangra, attributed to Purkhu, circa 1820
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Image: 9 ¾ x 6 ½ in. (24.8 x 16.5 cm.)
Folio: 13 x 9 1/8 in. (33 x 23.2 cm.)
Provenance:
Royal Mandi collection.
Private English collection.
Seated upon a lush carpet of scrolling florals, Radha listens attentively to her sakhi, one hand resting on a vibrant orange cushion as the other is raised to her chin. Outside, blooming creepers peek out among the foliage where two love birds sit apart among the branches, just as the separated lovers Radha and Krishna. The yoni- and lingam-shaped vessels behind Radha, as well as the tall pointed minaret, are symbolic of desire and longing. A line of black Braj Bhasa above rrefers to Krishna’s manifested state of heavy separation and Radha’s state of distress caused by quarrels with Krishna. The folio number ‘196’ is inscribed in the upper left corner, the reverse with ‘9ll.’
The verso is inscribed with a verse from the Rasikapriya in alternating red and black script:
Sakhi to nayika:
“If you have a complaint against your dear one, you should speak of it only in private to him; it would be wrong to disclose his guilts publicly. If his eyes stray in undesirable directions, you may try to restrain them, but not to prick them with a knife. Remember, he is the same Syama, separation from whom can kindle such a fire in the hearts of women that a solution of camphor will have to be sprayed to cool it. You should speak as propriety demands, and not speak harshly to one who has abandoned everything for the sake of your love.”
(translation from M.S. Randhawa, Kangra Paintings on Love, New Delhi, 1962, p.90)
(On top left)
Self Portrait with Illumination 2021
Gouache heightened with gold on wasli
3 in. (7.62 cm.) diameter
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood” (back of frame)
(On bottom left)
Untitled (Portrait of Zayed) Zayed University, Dubai Campus, 2018
Gouache heightened with gold on paper
12 x 10 in. (30.48 x 25.4 cm.)
Signed and dated in ink in Nastaliq script [Hasnat Mehmood] and on verso in Roman script, “Hasnat Mehmood”
Inscribed, “Done while [at] a miniature workshop at Zayed University, Dubai Campus”
Exhibited:
Ali, Atteqa, curator. Back to the Future: History and Contemporary Art in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Twelve Gates Arts, Philadelphia, 6 Oct.–11 Nov. 2017.
2021
Diptych 1/2 (Portrait of Jahangir)
heightened with gold on wasli 3 in. (7.62 cm.) diameter
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood” (back of frame)
2021
Diptych 2/2
Gouache heightened with gold on wasli 3 in. (7.62 cm.) diameter
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood” (back of frame)
2021
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script
2021
Diptych 2/2
Gouache heightened with gold on wasli 3 in. (7.62 cm.) diameter
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script
“Mehmood” (back of frame)
Kapoor Galleries
A Prince with a Falcon Kishangarh, 18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
9 x 5 ¾ in. (22.9 x 14.6 cm.)
Provenance:
The Collection of Helen and Joe Darion, New York, acquired from Lawners by February 1968 (no. 41).
Kapoor Galleries
Decorative Cranes
Persia, circa 1900
Gouache heightened with gold on paper
8 ⅝ x 6 in. (21.9 x 15.2 cm.)
Provenance:
Collection of Hellen and Joe Darion.
(On right)
Red Moon, Red Flowers, 1 2024
Acrylic on canvas on board 12 x 12 in. (30 x 30 cm.)
Signed and dated in ink in Roman script “Mehmood”
Subaltern Abstractions, 22 2025
Watercolors, tea wash, and gold on wasli 14 x 11 in. (35.56 x 27.94 cm.)
Signed and dated in ink in Nastaliq script [Hasnat Mehmood] and Roman script, “Hasnat Mehmood” on verso
Black Buck from Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi 2021
Graphite
Image: 16.4 x 11.9 in. (41.66 x 30.22 cm.)
Folio: 18.5 x 15 in. (46.99 x 38.1 cm.)
Signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Kapoor Galleries
Majnun in the Wilderness India, Mughal or Sub-Imperial, mid-17th Century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Image: 7 3/8 x 4 ¼ in. (18.7 x 10.8 cm.)
Folio: 8 ⅜ x 5 ⅜ in. (21.3 x 13.6 cm.)
Provenance: Arthur B. Michael Fund, 1942. Collection of Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo.
Krishna and Radha 2009
Digital print on paper
Edition of 3
32 ½ x 30 in. (82.55 x 76.2 cm.)
Hand signed and dated in pencil in Roman script “Mehmood”
Exhibited:
“I Love Miniature” Aicon Gallery, New York, NY, (with Debanjan Roy). July 8 – August 1, 2009.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in 1978 in Jhelum, Pakistan, Hasnat Mehmood is a visual artist who received his BFA in Miniature Painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore. Trained in traditional miniature techniques, he draws upon this foundation to engage with contemporary themes and visual culture.
Mehmood’s solo exhibitions include Buy One Get One at Rohtas Gallery, Lahore, and Original Image May Vary at Chawkandi Gallery, Karachi. His work has also featured in numerous group shows, such as Extra Ordinary: 37 Do It Yourself Art Ideas for Free at Canvas Gallery, Karachi; Here and Now, curated by Quddus Mirza at Lahore Art Gallery; Icons/Pakistan
Zinda Baad at Canvas Gallery; Playing with a Loaded Gun: Apexart, New York; and Lahore Lovelies with Talha Rathor at Aicon Gallery, London.
His works are held in notable collections including the British Museum, London; Fukuoka Museum of Asian Art, Japan; and the American Consulate, Karachi.
Follow Hasnat Mehmood: @studio.hasnatmehmood
Paper Shield opens on July 31, 2025 and will be on view at Kapoor Galleries through August 31, 2025. The gallery will also feature a curated selection of historical artworks from its private collection to be displayed in dialogue with Mehmood’s works, offering a rich perspective on the evolution of artistic language through the ages.
For all inquiries regarding the artworks in this catalog or displayed in the show, please reach out to Kapoor Galleries.
Kapoor Galleries info@kapoors.com
(212) 888-2257 34 East 67th Street, Floor 3, New York, NY, 10065