Zarina

(Indian, 1937–2020)

Zarina was an Indian artist and printmaker whose minimalist works on paper and sculptures documented her peripatetic lifestyle and the complex notion of what makes a place home. She once said, “I do not feel at home anywhere, but the idea of home follows me wherever I go.” Zarina was born on July 16, 1937 in Aligarh, a small university town in India, as the youngest of five children. She spent much of her childhood within the four walls of the house’s courtyard, a site that would inspire much of her later work. At the age of 21, Zarina married Saad Hashmi, a diplomat, whose postings around the world provided Zarina the opportunity to travel, experience new cultures, and develop her artistic practice. She lived in Bangkok, New Delhi, Paris, Bonn, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, and London, and gained experience and inspiration in each city. In Paris, Zarina studied printmaking with famed Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17, and in Tokyo she worked with Toshi Yoshida. In 1976, she moved to New York, where she would remain for 45 years. In New York, Zarina found a home in feminist art circles, working on the editorial board for the feminst art journal, ‘Heresies.’ She passed away on April 25th, 2020. Zarina’s work is included in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others.