Zarina Hashmi, an influential Indian American artist born in 1937 in New Delhi, was known for her minimalist abstract shapes that explored themes of migration, displacement, and the human condition. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, and she was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor, in 2006. On July 16, 2023, Google Doodle commemorated Hashmi’s 86th birthday with a doodle featuring geometric shapes in shades of blue, green, and yellow, arranged in a grid-like pattern.
Hashmi’s work was often inspired by her own experiences as a migrant, as she moved to Pakistan with her family in 1947, following the partition of India. This experience led her to explore themes of displacement and loss in her art. Hashmi’s work is characterized by its simplicity and clarity, using geometric shapes and bold colors to create her artworks, avoiding unnecessary ornamentation. This simplicity allowed her to focus on the essential elements of her work, communicating her ideas with clarity and power.
Hashmi was a pioneering artist who made significant contributions to the field of contemporary art, and her work is both visually arresting and intellectually stimulating. She studied at the National College of Art in Delhi and the Slade School of Fine Art in London, was a founding member of the Women’s Art Association of India, and was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1999. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, and the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi.
Zarina Hashmi was a talented and influential artist who left a lasting legacy, making her work relevant and inspiring for generations to come.