An Extraordinary Life: A Conversation with Salima Hashmi

South Asia Institute, in partnership with the University of Chicago, Division of the Arts & Humanities, with support from the Ahmad Visiting Professorship, is delighted to welcome acclaimed artist, educator, curator, and writer Salima Hashmi for the launch of her memoirs and a special conversation reflecting on her remarkable life shaped by art, literature, family, friendship, and the cultural history of South Asia.

The evening will feature a conversation between Hashmi and
SAI co-founder and art collector Shireen Ahmad. Longtime friends, Hashmi and Ahmad will draw upon decades of shared connections, bringing a personal dimension to the stories, people, and experiences recalled in Hashmi’s memoirs.

An influential figure in Pakistan’s cultural landscape, Salima Hashmi has spent decades as an artist, educator, curator, writer, and advocate for the arts. The daughter of celebrated Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Alys Faiz, her own distinguished career has included a longtime association with the National College of Arts in Lahore and extensive work documenting and championing artists from Pakistan and across South Asia.

The evening offers audiences a rare opportunity to encounter South Asian art and cultural history through the memories of someone who has not only documented it, but lived it.