Google Doodle celebrates Indian-American artist Zarina Hashmi
Aligarh, India born Hashmi was regarded as one of the most influential artists associated with the minimalist movement
Google celebrated the life of Zarina Hashmi, a noted Indian-American artist and printmaker, on her 86th birthday with a captivating doodle on Sunday.
Created by guest artist Tara Anand based in New York, the doodle pays homage to Hashmi’s unique style, which involved the use of minimalist abstract and geometric shapes to delve into the concepts of home, displacement, borders, and memory.
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Regarded as one of the most influential artists associated with the minimalist movement, Hashmi was born on July 16, 1937 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
She grew up with her four siblings, enjoying an idyllic life until the partition of India in 1947. The partition compelled Zarina’s family to flee to Karachi in the newly formed Pakistan.
At the age of 21, Hashmi married a young foreign service diplomat, embarking on a journey that allowed her to traverse the globe. She travelled to Bangkok, Paris, and Japan, where she immersed herself in the world of printmaking and artistic movements such as modernism and abstraction.
In 1977, Hashmi settled in New York, becoming a fervent advocate for women’s rights and artists of colour. She became a part of the Heresies Collective, a feminist publication that explored the multifaceted intersection of art, politics, and social justice.
Continuing her commitment to equality and artistic education, Hashmi began teaching at the New York Feminist Art Institute, providing a platform for female artists to flourish.
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In 1980, she co-curated an influential exhibition at AIR Gallery titled “Dialectics of Isolation: An Exhibition of Third World Women Artists of the United States.”
This groundbreaking event not only showcased diverse artists but also created a space where female artists of color could express themselves freely.
Hashmi gained significant recognition for her captivating intaglio and woodcut prints, which skillfully incorporated semi-abstract depictions of the houses and cities she had resided in throughout her life.
Her identity as an Indian woman, born into the Muslim faith, coupled with her experiences of constant movement during her formative years, greatly influenced her artistic expression.
Her artwork often featured visual elements inspired by Islamic religious decorations, characterized by precise geometrical patterns that held immense aesthetic appeal.
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Hashmi’s early artistic works, with their abstract and subtly geometric aesthetics, have drawn comparisons to renowned minimalists such as Sol LeWitt.
She passed away in London on April 25, 2020 as a result of complications from her Alzheimer’s disease.
