Repainting Silence: Feminist Counter-Histories in Pakistani Women’s Art

This literature review will examine how contemporary and historical Pakistani female artists construct counter-histories through visual storytelling in the face of repression and erasure. Rather than focusing solely on state law or religious decrees, as existing literature does, it highlights the deeper social structures that normalize marginalization. Hence, this paper will shift the lens to social structures that predate and produce political repression and how female artists combat them. It explores how patriarchal ideals — izzat (honor), purdah (veil), and domesticity — shape public perception and define women’s visibility in art and society. Through this framework, the paper demonstrates how artists utilize their brushes as a means of countering both political power and cultural expectations, transforming personal struggles into acts of collective resistance.