Mehreen Hasan | Girl with a peacock

Mehreen Hasan is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in painting, working primarily with acrylics, thread, and fabric. She earned her MFA from Pakistan and Contemporary Painting Techniques specialisation from the University of Arts London (UCLA), where she developed a distinctive style that merges traditional techniques with contemporary textures and materials.

Mehreen’s work has been exhibited across five continents—including Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America—reflecting her global perspective and diverse influences. Notably, her painting Chalkiada Waters-Greece was on display at the Legislative Assembly of Toronto from January 2023 to 2024, marking a significant milestone in her career.

Her art is deeply personal, representing her life journey, experiences, and the many people and places that have shaped her. Drawing inspiration from her surroundings, cultural encounters, and personal memories, Mehreen transforms everyday experiences into vibrant visual narratives that explore identity, movement, and memory.

Through her innovative use of thread and fabric alongside acrylic paint, she creates layered compositions that invite viewers to engage with texture, colour, and emotion. Mehreen Hasan continues to explore the intersections of material, form, and storytelling, offering work that resonates on both intimate and universal levels, connecting audiences with the shared threads of human experience.  

Girl with a Peacock is inspired by the traditional style of Mughal miniature painting. For this piece, I used a handmade brush crafted from a squirrel’s tail, which holds water well and allows the creation of extremely fine and delicate lines. The artwork is painted on traditional handmade paper known as wasli, widely used in classical miniature painting. To prepare the surface, a garnet gemstone was used to carefully burnish the paper, giving it a smooth and luminous finish. This piece is deeply personal to me, reflecting my admiration for traditional techniques and the patience, precision, and beauty found in classical art forms.