Amna Hashmi is a visual artist and art educationist, specializing in the art of Miniature Painting. Combining her interest in historical illuminated manuscripts with her love for Japanese manga, her work has revolved around her primary interest of storytelling and the recording of historical events – exploring the boundaries that exist between actual facts and the creation of myths, magical and collective imaginary spaces that are often neglected in our present-day, media-saturated lives. Her works present subjective narratives and attempt to emulate the book art that was meant for royalty, but rather than documenting the lives of real kings and gods, these seek to capture the wonders that we tend to miss in our daily lives and issues which concern us on a fundamental level. These very issues are later re-transposed within a new context, an imagined and fantastic space creating a stage in which the tales can be told. Overall, her works have been inspired by an ongoing interest in how history is manipulated, always being recounted through the eyes of the one in power – where, in most cases, the real stories are lost in the depths of time. Frequently, legends and myths are the true carriers of these forgotten, common histories; they can transcend time, often portraying ways in which current, contemporary society seems to function.
Over the period of 18 years, she has actively exhibited her experimentations in traditional courtly painting, the digital medium, and book arts – individually and as part of the artist collective Pak Khawateen Painting Club – has contributed and created multiple publications, and has her works as part of collections at the Dar Mustapha Pacha (Algiers, Algeria), Sharjah Art Foundation (Sharjah, U.A.E), and South Asia Art Institute (Chicago, U.S.). She has been given the Haji Sharif Award by National College of Arts, Lahore, and awarded by the Government of Algeria in the International Festival of Miniature and Illumination, for her works and innovations in the traditional art of courtly Mughal miniature painting. Recently, as part of the artist collective Pak Khawateen Painting Club, she was recognized for her efforts in digital arts with the ADA award in the Interactive/Time Based Art Category.
Her most notable recent works have been shown in the He Yuan Peace Garden Museum, Beijing, China (2017), Embassy of Pakistan, Tokyo, Japan (2016), and Tsinghua University Art Museum, China (2020). After getting inspired by the local flora while being part of the Murree Museum Artist Residency (2018), she is now tinkering with interactive design, circuits, and coffee – ‘To the Coffee Cave’. Satrang Gallery, Islamabad [2019] – and researching structures upon the Indus (as part of the Pak Khawateen Painting Club) – Lahore Biennale 02 [2020], Wrong Biennale [2021], Jameel Art [2022], Sharjah Biennale ‘15 [2023]. She has given workshops on the art of comic books and miniature paintings in Syria (2007) and Algeria (2011). Hashmi is currently teaching as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Art and Design at COMSATS University, Islamabad.