Jessica Hong hosted her third “APIC Art Break” on 16 November 2020, discussing the work of Zarina Hashmi. There were 8 APIC attendees who discussed her pieces relating to the theme of Home – represented by a series of abstract, wood cut engravings of specific sites from her childhood home, and cities she had lived in. Zarina conceived of home as something we carry with us wherever we go, not a fixed place. Jessica explained that the medium – paper – is something with cultural permanence, that allows for storytelling and the expression of narratives over centuries. Paper is akin to skin in that it ages, stains, and “keeps secrets” (according to Zarina). APIC viewers felt a sense of melancholy, distance, and disconnect from the emotion of home; however, Jessica explained that the prints are meant to be intimate when considering Zarina’s whole body of work and the abstraction opens the work for interpretation from a multiplicity of audiences.

Art Break III