Spaces to Hide

In this embossed print, like her paper pulp sculptures, Zarina's obsession for formal purity takes three-dimensional form, retaining the minimalist and lyrical essence of her line. Through the series of tent-like triangular niches in this work, she conveys a place of refuge, soon to be embodied as her home in New York - offering the artist privacy, physical security and peace of mind. She recalls, "When I came to New York and was looking for a place to live, I read the signs outside the building 'Space to Rent'. This transformed to Spaces to Hide; at that time I was looking for a place to hide, a place of my own. And I have lived in this space since 1976, for thirty years." (Artist statement, Zarina: Paper Houses, exhibition catalogue, New Delhi, p. 10)