Zarina (artist)
Zarina Hashmi (1937 – 2020), known professionally as Zarina, was an Indian-American artist known primarily for her minimalist prints and sculptures that explored themes of home, displacement, and memory. Born in Aligarh, India, she lived and worked in various locations including India, Thailand, France, and the United States, experiences that heavily influenced her artistic practice.
Zarina's work often incorporated Urdu calligraphy, geometric abstraction, and the use of handmade paper. She frequently used woodcuts and other printmaking techniques to create works that were both formally restrained and emotionally resonant. Her art was deeply personal, reflecting her own experiences as an exile and her profound connection to the concept of home, despite its constant state of flux.
Notable aspects of her artistic practice include:
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Use of Urdu: Zarina incorporated Urdu, her mother tongue, into her art, often using it to label places or to create abstract designs that evoked a sense of cultural identity and longing.
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Minimalism: Her work is characterized by its minimalist aesthetic, emphasizing simple forms, clean lines, and a limited color palette. This approach allowed her to convey complex emotions with subtlety and nuance.
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Paper as Medium: Zarina considered paper an integral part of her art, exploring its tactile qualities and its ability to evoke a sense of fragility and impermanence. She experimented with various types of paper, often handmade, to create unique surfaces and textures.
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Themes of Displacement: Displacement was a central theme in Zarina's work, reflecting her own experiences of living in different countries and her sense of not fully belonging anywhere. Her art explored the emotional impact of being uprooted and the search for a sense of belonging.
Zarina's work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her contributions to contemporary art have been widely recognized for their emotional depth, formal rigor, and exploration of universal themes of home, memory, and displacement.