Zarina: Atlas of Her World

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents a career-spanning exhibition devoted to Indian-born American artist Zarina (b. 1937). With some 30 prints, sculptures, and collages dating from the 1960s to the present, as well as a select group of works by other artists—spanning cultures and centuries—Zarina: Atlas of Her World is the first exhibition to highlight the art and objects that have inspired the artist throughout her career. In the process, it shows how Zarina has created a body of work that brings abstraction and minimalism together with an ongoing exploration of separation, distance, and place.

On view through February 2, 2020, the exhibition was curated by Pulitzer Arts Foundation Curator Tamara H. Schenkenberg. The Pulitzer is the show’s only venue.

Pulitzer Director Cara Starke says, “With this exhibition, the Pulitzer continues its efforts to bring new perspectives to the work of artists both widely known and under-recognized. It is our hope that by looking not only at Zarina’s work, but also at some of the diverse works and traditions that inspired her, Zarina: Atlas of Her World will enrich our understanding of an oeuvre that is at once technically masterful and deeply poignant. And to see this moving work, much of which explores space and light, in the Pulitzer’s celebrated building, itself known for Tadao Ando’s sensitive deployment of those elements, should add still another dimension to our appreciation of her practice.”

Zarina: Atlas of Her World, focuses on three themes: printmaking, which Zarina has explored continuously throughout her career, producing truly virtuoso works; light as a physical, abstract, and spiritual entity; and space through her explorations of geometry and architecture.

Schenkenberg adds, “From the beginning of her career, Zarina has been inspired by her early study of mathematics and a longstanding interest in the history of art and architecture. Yet her work has also been shaped by a lifetime of travel and displacement, from her childhood experience of the Partition, which led to her family’s forced removal from their home, to her many years as an adult spent wayfaring across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Zarina: Atlas of Her World explores not only the enduring interest in place and memory that these travels have provoked, but also, importantly, the diverse set of artistic traditions and influences that she has synthesized into her practice over the course of five decades.”

About the Pulitzer Arts Foundation
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is a museum that provides dynamic experiences with contemporary and historic art presented in dialogue with its celebrated Tadao Ando building. Since its founding in 2001, the museum has organized a range of exhibitions featuring art from around the world, exploring a diverse array of ideas and inspiring new perspectives. Highlights have included the exhibitions Ruth Asawa: Life’s Work (2018-19); Blue Black, curated by artist Glenn Ligon (2017); Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form (2016-17); raumlaborberlin: 4562 Enright Avenue (2016); Reflections of the Buddha (2011-12); Urban Alchemy / Gordon Matta-Clark (2009-10); and Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue (2005). These exhibitions are complemented by programs that bring together leading figures from the fields of art, architecture, design, urban planning, and others. The Pulitzer is a place for contemplation and exchange that brings art and people together.

Located in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis, Missouri, the museum is open Thursday through Sunday between 10am–5pm, with evening hours until 8pm on Friday.

Pulitzer Arts Foundation media contacts

Ennis O’Brien
Betsy Ennis: betsy [​at​] ennisobrien.com, T 917-783-6553
Lucy O’Brien: lucy [​at​] ennisobrien.com, T 973-879-4037