Salima Hashmi ( ur, ; born 1942) is a

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i painter

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

, former

college professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

anti-nuclear The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, natio ...

weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

activist and former caretaker minister in Sethi caretaker ministry. She has served for four years as a professor and the dean of

National College of Arts The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview National College of Arts - A Federal Chartered Institute is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second oldest i ...

. She is the eldest daughter of the renowned poet

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

and his British-born wife

Alys Faiz Alys Faiz (Urdu:; September 1915 – 12 March 2003) was a Pakistani poet, writer, journalist, human rights activist, social worker and a teacher. Alys was born in London, but she later became a naturalized citizen of Pakistan. She was the wife of ...

.Profile of Salima Hashmi
Retrieved 16 December 2018 She represents the first generation of modern artists in Pakistan who carry an artistic identity different from indigenous artists. She is known for condemning the Pakistani and

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

nuclear programs; she is one of the few Pakistani intellectuals who condemned the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998. She received the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award in 1999 for her services to the nation.

Early life and education

Salima was born in 1942, in before-the-partition

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, India to parents

and

. She is Pakistani. She has one younger sister,

Muneeza Hashmi Muneeza Hashmi ( ur, ; born 1946) is a broadcaster, television producer, actress and a former general manager of the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV). Hashmi has over four decades of experience working with public media. She is currently ...

, a senior producer with Pakistan TV. Her mother, Alys Faiz, was a sister of Christobel Taseer, mother of

Salman Taseer Salman Taseer ( Punjabi and ur, ); ( 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, ...

, the former

Governor of Punjab, Pakistan The Governor of Punjab is the appointed head of state of the provincial government in Punjab, Pakistan. Although the Governor is the head of the province on paper, it is largely a ceremonial position; and the main powers lie with the Chief Mini ...

. Salima migrated with her family to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

during the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947 and was raised in

. After studying design at Lahore's National College of Arts (NCA), she moved to England in the early 1960s, where she studied at the

Bath Academy of Art Bath School of Art and Design is an art college in Bath, England, now known separately as Bath School of Art and Bath School of Design. It forms part of the Bath Spa University whose main campus is located a few miles from the City at Newton P ...

Corsham Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest o ...

, receiving a diploma in art education from there in 1965. Salima later studied at the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

in Providence, Rhode Island, and received a MAE degree in 1990. Salima married a fellow professor

Shoaib Hashmi Shoaib Hashmi ( ur, ) is a veteran playwright, actor and professor from Pakistan. Family life and education Hashmi received his Master of Arts degree in economics from Government College (now Government College University), Lahore and his MSc ...

. The couple has two children, son Yasser Hashmi and one daughter

Mira Hashmi Mira Hashmi (born 1976) is a Pakistani actress, host and director. She is known for her roles in dramas Teen Bata Teen, Taamak Toyian and Family Front. Early life Mira was born in 1976 in Lahore, Pakistan. She completed her studies and did MPhil ...

. Her husband

retired from a teaching position at

Government College University, Lahore The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

, and

Lahore School of Economics The Lahore School of Economics (LSE) is an independent research university based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan established in 1993 and chartered by the government in January 1997. It has currently 200 faculty members and over 3,000 students stu ...

, and was also a popular co-star with her in comedy and children's television shows on

Pakistan television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

in the early 1970s - for example the highly popular 1970s children's show 'Akkar Bakkar'.

Career

Academic

"Salima Hashmi, artist, curator and contemporary art historian, taught at

for 31 years before working as its principal for four years. Currently dean at the

Beaconhouse National University Beaconhouse National University (BNU) is a private liberal arts university located in Lahore, in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. She has served as Dean of the School of Visual Arts & Design at the

Beaconhouse National University Beaconhouse National University (BNU) is a private liberal arts university located in Lahore, in the province of Punjab, Pakistan., Retrieved 16 December 2018 Hashmi was also professor and the head of the National College of Arts. She is famous for her quick wit and ability to read and analyse artwork. She is a respected patron of young artists known to have the capacity to make or break a career. Formerly known as "Art-Shart", Rohtas-2 is the gallery set up by Hashmi at her house in

Lahore Model Town Model Town Society (Punjabi, ur, ) is a gated neighbourhood in Gulberg, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. History Model Town, established in 1921, is a fruition of Dewan Khem Chand's lifelong dream to see the establishment of what he called “ G ...

. In recent years she has been working on developing closer links with India and working towards a unity group. Hashmi is a member of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

, and Pakistan Peace Initiative to India after 2009 Mumbai Attack. She is also vice-chair person (Punjab)

Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

of Pakistan.

Arts

Hashmi is one of the most well-known artists of Pakistan. Besides being an accomplished painter, she taught at Pakistan's prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) for about thirty years and served as the principal of NCA for four years. In 1999, she received Pakistan's 'Pride of Performance for Arts' award. She also co-founded Lahore's ''Rohtas 2 Gallery'', an art gallery featuring works of young artists.'In Conversation with Salima Hashmi'
Dawn (newspaper), Updated 2 November 2015, Retrieved 16 December 2018 Salima Hashmi has exhibited her works internationally and she has travelled all over the world and lectured extensively for it. She has organised several international art shows in England, Europe, United States, Australia, Japan and India.

Political views

Hashmi comes from a socially and politically active family. Her father was the communist Pakistani writer,

, and her mother, the British-born

was a journalist and peace activist in Pakistan. One of two daughters, Hashmi was always active in the arts, performing in plays before taking on painting professionally. Salima expressed her frustration at the India and Pakistan nuclear tests by saying, "It would be so much more fruitful if these energies could be used in producing food to eat, providing shelter, freedom from disease and education for all." Hashmi was about eight years old when Faiz Ahmed Faiz was imprisoned for his political views. She remembers visiting him in jail. Later, during the repressive years of

General Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law i ...

rule, Hashmi's father had to go into self-exile as a result of the harassment he faced by Zia's government. Therefore, Salima grew up in a politically charged atmosphere. Painting became her outlet.

Awards and recognition

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Bibliography

Hashmi also authored a critically lauded book title
"''Unveiling the Visible: Lives and Works of Women Artists of Pakistan''"
in 2001. In 2006, Hashmi co-authored a book with Indian art historian Yashodhara Dalmia titled 'Memory, Metaphor, Mutations: Contemporary Art of India and Pakistan', published by Oxford University Press. Her latest work, a series of illustrations to accompany English translations of her father's poetry by her husband

, is in process of publication.

References

External links

Remembering Faiz in Conversation: Salima Hashmi at Berkeley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hashmi, Salima 1942 births Living people Pakistani art curators Pakistani painters Pakistani educators Pakistani women academics Pakistani democracy activists Pakistani anti–nuclear weapons activists Pakistani people of English descent Recipients of the Pride of Performance Provincial ministers of Punjab Women provincial ministers of Punjab National College of Arts alumni Rhode Island School of Design alumni Beaconhouse National University faculty Artists from Lahore Writers from Lahore National College of Arts faculty Principals of the National College of Arts Alumni of Bath School of Art and Design Faiz Ahmad Faiz Women heads of universities and colleges Pakistani women painters People from Lahore