Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
Zarina Hashmi, also known as Zarina, was a contemporary artist who was born in India and lived in New York. She was one of the first artists to use textiles as a medium for creating sculptures, drawings, and installations. She was inspired by her cultural heritage, as well as her personal experiences of migration, displacement, and identity. Her works often featured abstract and geometric forms that evoked themes of home, memory, and borders. Her works have been exhibited and collected by major museums and institutions around the world, and she is widely regarded as one of the most influential Indian American artists of the postwar era.
The Life and Career of Zarina Hashmi
Zarina Hashmi was born in 1937 in Aligarh, a city in northern India. She came from a noble family of Polish and Tatar origin, and she grew up in a turbulent time, witnessing the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, which forced her family to relocate to Karachi. She studied mathematics at Aligarh Muslim University, where she also developed an interest in art. She learned to draw and carve from her father, who was a painter and a silversmith.
In 1958, Zarina married an Indian diplomat, and she began to travel the world with him. She lived in various countries, such as Thailand, France, Japan, and Germany, where she learned different techniques and methods of printmaking. She was particularly drawn to the art of papermaking, which she learned from a master in Japan. She also encountered the works of modern artists, such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Constantin Brâncuși, who influenced her style and vision.
In 1976, Zarina moved to New York, where she settled permanently. She became part of the vibrant and diverse art scene of the city, and she befriended other artists, such as Nancy Spero, Sol LeWitt, and Robert Ryman. She also joined the feminist art movement, and she contributed to the journal Heresies and the New York Feminist Art Institute. She taught at various institutions, such as the Women’s Center for Learning, the Santa Fe Indian School, and the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Zarina died in 2020 in London, at the age of 82. She left behind a prolific and diverse body of work that spans more than six decades. She also established a foundation that supports and promotes her art and legacy. In 2023, Google honoured her with a doodle on what would have been her 86th birthday.
The Art and Legacy of Zarina Hashmi
Zarina’s art was characterised by her innovative and experimental use of textiles, especially paper, as a sculptural medium. She used natural and organic materials, such as sisal, burlap, cotton, and linen, which she dyed, cut, and shaped into abstract forms. She also used metal, wood, stone, and resin to create sculptures and installations. She often used simple and geometric shapes, such as circles, squares, and lines, which she arranged in patterns and grids. She also used text and symbols, such as Urdu calligraphy, maps, and stamps, to convey her messages and meanings.
Zarina’s art was also influenced by her personal and cultural background, as well as her experiences of travel and displacement. She explored themes such as home, belonging, identity, and memory, as well as issues such as borders, migration, and exile. She expressed her emotions and thoughts through her art, which was both autobiographical and universal. She also reflected her interest in Islamic art and architecture, as well as her affinity with minimalism and abstraction.
Zarina’s art is widely admired and respected for its originality and quality. She is considered one of the pioneers and leaders of textile art, as well as one of the most important and influential Indian American artists of the 20th century. She has inspired and influenced many artists, both in India and abroad, who have followed her example and vision. Zarina’s art is a testament to her creativity, talent, and spirit, and a gift to the world.
