"Lords of the Illusion - I" by Kiran Maqsood

Kiran Maqsood is a Lahore-based visual artist, born in 2000. She earned her BFA from Lahore College for Women University in 2022 and completed her MFA from Punjab University College of Art & Design in 2025.

Her practice explores illusion, power, perfection, and the fragile truths hidden beneath surface beauty. In Fake Kingdom, Kiran draws inspiration from Mughal miniature painting, using rhinestones, glass beads, and resin to question how societies construct flawless images to conceal deeper weaknesses.

Through glittering surfaces and symbolic references to royalty, politics, screens, and display, she reflects on the instability behind what appears majestic or complete. Her work has been exhibited across Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi.

For collectors, Kiran Maqsood’s work offers visual richness, critical reflection, and a contemporary response to power, beauty, and truth.