Hanif Kuresh | Raaz

Hanif Kureshi
Raaz, 2021
Serigraphy on Insper-M Extra White (270 GSM) paper
59.4 x 42 cm
Signed. Limited Edition of 20.


Printed under the close supervision of artist Hanif Kureshi, this limited edition print is individually numbered and signed by the artist in pencil and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. 

Using the graceful calligraphic Nastaliq script, central to poetry in the Urdu and Persian languages, the artwork draws the script away from its conventional role of conveying semantic meaning and instead meditates on its form. In recent times, the script has become the subject of misplaced phobia due to its misinterpreted association with didactic and religious texts, though it is by no means limited to them. Hanif Kureshi sought to present the script purely for its beauty, foregrounding its aesthetic and formal qualities. Saurashtra is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily by the Saurashtrian community of southern India, whose ancestors migrated from Gujarat to regions south of the Vindhyas during the Middle Ages. Today, it is a minority language with fewer than 250,000 speakers worldwide. The history and trajectory of the language are particularly compelling to the artist, whose own origins trace back to Saurashtra. In this work, the letters “La” and “Va” are rendered in the Saurashtra script.

Prints are shipped unframed and rolled.