DescriptionAuthor BiographySalima Hashmi is a renowned Pakistani painter, activist and essayist. Daughter of the famous poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984).She is a pioneering artist and arts educator, accomplished writer and fearless women’s rights activist. Salima studied at Bath Academy of Art in Corsham and the Rhode Island School of Design in the US. She has taught at the National College of Art in Lahore where she was also the Principal for several years. She was a Co-Founder and former Dean of the School of Visual Art at the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore. She is also a curator and gallery owner. She founded Rohtas Gallery in Islamabad, followed by Rohtas 2 Gallery in Lahore, where the works of emerging artists are showcased. She continues to be an inspiration to young artists and an influential force in the arts community.Salima Hashmi, believing that “male writers have neglected the history of Pakistan’s women”, she took on a monumental task: writing and recording the life and work of female artists in Pakistan in her book Unveiling the Visible: Lives and Works of Women Artists of Pakistan. The publication includes a never before published manifesto (1983) signed by 15 women artists who denounce the lack of freedom of expression of women artists under the Zia-ul-Haq regime, the Islamisation of Pakistani society, its intolerance and anti-progress stance. A convinced pacifist, she works to bring Indo-Pakistani reconciliation by developing artistic projects that go beyond the two countries’ borders.