Zenab Kazmi

میراث زبان Miraas e Zubaan - The Heritage of Language

Wearable hand-embroidered, soft-sculpted vest.

“Inspired by Par Nair’s Letters of Haunting (2023), میراث زبان Miraas e Zubaan—The Heritage of Language explores themes of language, heritage, belonging, and mother through a cardboard display mannequin with a fabric vest adorned with a hand-embroidered silk pomegranate. The title combines the words میراث (Miraas=heritage) and زبان (Zubaan=language), words shared between Persian and Urdu. Like my own culture and heritage, these languages travelled acrossborders, linking histories and identities. Silk, cherished in both Persian and South Asian traditions, forms the foundation of this piece, bridging my inherited legacies. The pomegranate, crafted from repurposed silk belonging to my mother and aunt, represents Persian art and culture. Whereas the hand-embroidered eyes, blooming like flowers, mirror the style of Mughal Art (SouthAsia). With my mother shaping the pomegranate base, this work interweaves our shared histories, celebrating the deep connections that language and art hold within my identity. I invite viewers to consider the layers of identity preserved through family and culture, grounding me across generations and borders.”