Hira Shahid Kazim aka HSK was born in Karachi into a highly educated and artistically cultured Rajput family system, strongly driven by traditional values. She completed her schooling at the Pakistan Marine Academy in 2003 and pursued her high school studies in premedical science at Government College for Women, Shahrah-e-Liaquat. Hira graduated with a degree in Medical Physiology from the University of Karachi in 2010, with a focus on Neurophysiology. She later completed her postgraduate studies along with Clinical Research Certification from Dow University of Health Sciences in 2014.

Hira began her professional career as a Biology Lecturer in March 2011, serving at the Pakistan Marine Academy for two years. She has since worked with Bentham Science Publishers and The City School. Her passion for the arts blossomed at the age of seven, and art has been a natural talent for her. Despite her full-time commitment to education and her professional pursuits, she remains an enthusiastic practitioner of various art forms. In 2015, she established her art studio and transitioned to practicing art as a profession. Driven by an insatiable desire for exploration, Hira has experimented with diverse mediums in fine arts. Her work draws inspiration from a broad range of subjects, including nature, human behavior, physiology, psychology, the environment, and history. Currently, she explores multiple genres of fine arts, including Drawing, Abstract, Figurative, Landscapes, Contemporary, Islamic Art, Calligraphy, Embroidery, Mixed Media, Truck Art, and her most cherished passion, Science Art.

As an educator, Hira teaches fine arts, biological sciences, and the business/curation of art. With 14 years of professional experience, she has conducted numerous art courses and workshops in her studio and in collaboration with various institutions, mentoring hundreds of students across all age groups, igniting in them a love for knowledge and artistic expression.

Hira’s artistic prowess is a natural gift, yet she continuously enhances her knowledge through academia. She has pursued advanced educational courses, workshops, and one-on-one mentorship from a variety of esteemed art institutions and teachers, including Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture, The Museum of Modern Art, the University of Florida, Università Bocconi, The University of Melbourne, and the University of Toronto, alongside mentorship from Master Painter and Teacher Shahzad Amanullah, the late Artist Mohan Das, Khattat Naveed Maroof, and Master Truck Artist Haider Ali.

Hira has dedicated her life to the fields of Arts, Science, and Education, channeling her commitment through painting, teaching, mentoring, and the business of art. In 2020, she expanded her studio into segments to support her art practice at HSK Art Studio, foster art education at HSK Art Academy, and facilitate the business/curation of art through the online HSK Art Gallery.

In August 2022, Hira joined the family business of Pharmaceutical Regulatory Consultancy, named The Regulatory Bureau, where she currently serves as the Managing Director. She is married to Mirza Danish Hussain Barlas and is the mother of two beautiful daughters, Amna Jehan Barlas and Aliya Jehan Barlas. Hira resides and works in Karachi and Islamabad.