From the Sea (2/3) by Zarrin-Fatima Shamsi

This series is a collection of drawings, paintings and prints based on objects I’ve gathered from the sea. These fragments hold personal significance—each one tied to memories, people, and the coastal places where they were found. They carry the weight of shared experiences and silent stories.

But beyond these personal associations, I felt a growing need to address a more urgent, collective concern: ocean acidification. At first glance, these objects may seem beautiful, but they carry a deeper message—one of warning and loss. Most of the forms I’ve chosen are distorted, eroded, and stripped of their original identity. Once living or integral to a thriving marine environment, they have been cast ashore—dead, deformed, and forgotten.

These are only a few among countless others scattered across the sand, unnoticed and abandoned. Their presence is a quiet testament to the damage caused by excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere—an invisible threat whose effects unfold beneath the surface of the ocean.

This body of work reflects my concern for the fragility of our ecosystems and questions the depth of human impact. How much more can nature withstand? Have we already gone too far? These objects, though seemingly small, speak to something far larger—a world changing in silence, just beneath the waves.

This artwork was a part of the Method Kala Ghoda group exhibition "In the Small, Infinite" (June 2025)