Home is a Foreign Place: Zarina Hashmi

Within the diverse explorations of abstraction by Indian artists, one approach that is particularly noteworthy is minimalist abstraction. Minimalist art aims to distil expression and the principles of abstraction to their simplest and purest, most often prioritising linear and geometric forms. In India, the emergence of minimalist abstraction can be tied to two pioneering female artists, Nasreen Mohamedi (1937–1990) and Zarina Hashmi (1937–2020). Mohamedi and Zarina (as she preferred to be called) developed their singular visions independently.

We’ll begin by looking at Zarina’s practice and how she has used tools of minimalist abstraction to talk about ideas that are both personal and political. As in the case of Tyeb Mehta’s ‘Diagonals’ series that we looked at in the previous topic, Zarina’s works also reflect on Partition and its impact. Click on the video below to get started.

As we’ve seen, Zarina’s global travels and outlook informed her lifelong consideration of home in her work as a printmaker and sculptor, and her works show us how simple abstract forms can elicit memories and emotions. In the next Topic, we’ll turn to Nasreen Mohamedi whose work with gridded lines and geometry provides perspectives on a different approach to minimalist abstraction.