Meher Afroz

Meher Afroz (b. 1948, Lucknow, India) is a renowned painter and printmaker who lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan. She graduated with honours in Fine Arts from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, in 1971, before moving to Pakistan in the early 1970s.

Her practice explores cultural identity, memory, spirituality and social realities, drawing on diverse religious and cultural traditions. Working across painting, printmaking and mixed media, she creates richly layered surfaces incorporating text, symbols and materials such as handmade paper, fabric and metal leaf. Her work brings together poetry and politics, reflecting on displacement, history and the human condition.

Afroz has exhibited widely in Pakistan and internationally. She co-founded ASNA in 1998, an organisation dedicated to fostering dialogue between traditional craftspeople and contemporary artists. In 2015, she received the Pride of Performance Award from the Government of Pakistan in recognition of her contribution to the arts.