Aabroo Hashimi (Pakistani, b.1978) is a contemporary artist; she uses photography to create works that investigate concepts of experience, memory and identity.

Hashimi is a self-taught photographer who drew inspiration from films, art, culture and music from an early age because of her father. The coterie of esteemed Pakistani artists she was exposed to, influenced her in recognizing her own passion for the visual arts.

Hashimi started experimenting with photography in college with her friend Maram Azmat who was developing her skills as a makeup artist. Together they became known as Maram Aabroo and often still mistaken as one person. Over the years they have achieved many milestones as trailblazers in a completely male dominated industry. Hashimi has been practicing fashion photography for more than twenty years. Her contribution as the only female commercial fashion photographer in Pakistan of that time lead to a huge cultural shift in the industry.

Hashimi’s transition to contemporary photography and art had been a long time coming and personal tragedies tipped that balance for her. The intense self-portraits and still images are a response to her interpretation of identity, culture and memory. Painterly lighting, stillness and movement are the dominant attributes in Hashimi’s oeuvre. Whether it’s through still images or videos, Hashimi’s work elicits a deeper, attentive look at our collective human experiences.

Hashimi founded Arte Dea in 2020, championing the work of creatives specially female photographers from around the world. She believes that the female perspective of visual storytelling is still under represented and she wants to contribute in elevating their voice. The platform is in its infancy and Hashimi has big goals set for its future.

Totally Unscripted with Aabroo is her most recent project; it is a conversation series with high achievers of their respective domains. This was Hashimi’s long time desire to record life lessons and experiences of accomplished people in a free flowing style, so that those perspectives could become valuable to a wider audience.

Aabroo Hashimi lives and works in Pakistan.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, 1978

www.maramaabroo.com Portfolio of fashion campaigns

2000 Masters of Public Administration (Advertising), Punjab University, Lahore

1998 Bachelors of Science (Mathematics), Kinnaird College, Lahore

1996 Intermediate (Biology), Kinnaird College, Lahore