Google Doodle on Zarina Hashmi

Google marked the birth anniversary of Zarina Hashmi with a doodle. The doodle is designed by Tara Anand, an illustrator from New York. Tara paid respect to the artist by incorporating Hashmi’s signature geometric, simple and minimalist abstract shapes.

Life and journey

Zarina Hussain was born in 1937 in Aligarh, India. Her childhood was peaceful and she lived with her four siblings. However, the tragic event of partition of India forced Zarina and several others to the newly established Pakistan.

In the year 1958, she was married to Saad, a smart, bright young man in Foreign Service at the age of 21. Saad’s nature of job took Zarina around the world.

Zarina held a degree in mathematics and after that she went on to study woodblock printing in Bangkok and Tokyo. She had a fascinating journey and lived all over the world as her husband was traveling for his job.

Work and interest

Zarina was profoundly interested in architecture and mathematics. It reflected in her use of geometry and her emphasis on structural purity. Her work inclines towards minimalism but its starkness is tempered by its texture and materiality. Her art features themes of home, displacement, borders, journey and memory.  Her personal experiences and life play a massive role and define Zarina’s art.

Notable exhibitions

Through the course of her career, Zarina exhibited at multiple international venues. She represented India at the 2011 Venice Biennale. Her retrospective exhibition in 2012, titled Zarina:Paper Like Skin was opened at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. It later traveled to the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013.

She died on 25 April, 2020, leaving behind a great legacy in the field of architecture and designs.

 

Picture couresy: Zarina Hashmi’s official website and Instagram