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Zarina Hashmi | Whitewall daily 7/13/09 1:54 PM Zarina Hashmi By Whitewall | July 1, 2009. Comments Off [[image]] [[image]] Travels with Rani (I & II), Zarina Hashimi, 2008. Courtesy of Luhring Augustine. As you enter Luhring Augustine you see three of Zarina Hashmi's most recent pieces, Travels with Rani (I & II) (2008) and Wrapping the Travels (2009). These are pat of her current solo show The Ten Thousand Things. Ts'en Shen's words, "When the ten thousand things have been seen in their unity, we return to the beginning and remain where we have always been" offer just the right amount of philosophical insight into the aspirations of an artist who is often described as a "restless traveler." The show brings together work from the late 1970s up through 2009. In her work there is clearly a considerable preoccupation with the desire to find oneself and one's place in the world. Zarina's more current works continue with the recognizably austere, minimal form with which she has come to be associated with. However, this work ranges in medium from woodcut, intaglio and rubbing on paper, to aluminum, sculptural pieces and the recent us of gold leaf. While the scale of her work is small, there are narratives behind each piece which carry profound meaning and significance for the artist as she engaged in the process of creation. I came to the show with some small knowledge of the intellectual discourse around Zarina's artistic pursuits. A well read printmaker, Zarina always works slowly, patiently conceiving and creating each piece in her small studio space, with great skill and thought. Her subject matter is said to deal with geographies, displacement, identity, personal relationships and language. Armed with just that much knowledge it was interesting for me to be faced with the formal qualities of her work. As once historical associations oscillate within your mind, from minimalism within the purview of western theory, to the religious and philosophical potency of abstract forms within Indian culture - a heritage that Zarina belongs to. Something told me that such an interaction would only render superficial interpretations. So I decided to listen to some of the stories behind her work. Mostly this involves her recollecting and reminiscing about her times with her sister, and what each city she has lived in means to her within the larger perspective of her life, as seen in Travels with Rani (2008). Thread-like lines http://www.whitewallmag.com/2009/07/01/zarina-hashmi/ Page 2 of 6
