agendanewyork

Through April 21, 2013

Established as a master printmaker, Zarina’s earliest works demonstrate a formalist immersion in the possibilities of the medium of paper and printmaking, as well as a commitment to Minimalism and abstraction. Her mature works display interventions on paper that are at once fierce and delicate—she pierces, folds, scratches, and cuts monochromatic grounds—creating textured surfaces that invite intimate viewing and extended contemplation.

Zarina emphasizes the sculptural sensibility that underlies printmaking, originating in the carving of a woodblock or the assembly of a relief collage. In the 1980s, she literalized this interest by casting three-dimensional works with paper pulp, creating forms that would become cast bronze sculptures. Nonetheless, paper remains the artist’s first passion. Beyond its materiality, it is allied with literary tradition. Urdu poetry and calligraphy greatly influence and inspire Zarina, who embeds evocative quotations and references throughout her work.

Address:  Guggenheim Museum. 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street)