Mapping Otherwise

In 2026, the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University will present ‘Mapping Otherwise’, a poignant exploration of the consequences of the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. The works of Zarina Hashmi and Naiza Khan transform partition lines into cartographies of memory, revealing the silences and absences of official maps. These artists interrogate displacement, nostalgia, and loss of intimacy, transforming physical borders into symbols of rupture and a desire for reconciliation. The exhibition is interested in how the traces of this upheaval continue to shape our perceptions of space and identity. By exploring the abstraction and materiality of borders, Hashmi and Khan propose a reflection on collective memory and the complexity of human relationships. The exhibition is free and will run from March 28th to April 12th, 2026.