Portfolio · 1991

House with Four Walls

Etchings and text turn remembered rooms, summer afternoons, visitors, warnings, and departures into a sequence about childhood and the loss of home.

House with Four Walls · complete portfolioView larger image ↗︎

Date1991

MediumEtching portfolio with text and chine collé on handmade Nepalese paper and Arches Cover

Plate9 × 8 in. (approximately)

Sheet17 × 29 in. (approximately)

Edition25

The portfolio begins with the protective idea of four walls, then opens that enclosure to the memories held inside it. The house is not reconstructed as a complete picture; it is recalled through marks, textures, stories, and the knowledge that the family would one day leave.

This complete print portfolio is distinct from the poem The House at Aligarh. Across the portfolio, complete sheets, deckled edges, inscriptions, and edition marks preserve the physical presence of Zarina’s handmade papers.

Christie’s · House with Four Walls, impression 20/25 ↗︎Christie’s · House with Four Walls, impression 5/25 ↗︎

Archive sequence

Individual sheets

The works are shown in their established order. Complete sheets, deckled edges, inscriptions, and edition marks remain visible throughout the sequence.

Far Away Was a House with Four Walls, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 01Far Away Was a House with Four WallsView larger image ↗︎

On Rainy Nights the Ghost Stopped by the Pillar, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 02On Rainy Nights the Ghost Stopped by the PillarView larger image ↗︎

The Black Snake Came in the House, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 03The Black Snake Came in the HouseView larger image ↗︎

On Long Summer Afternoons Everyone Slept, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 04On Long Summer Afternoons Everyone SleptView larger image ↗︎

I Run Outside to Play and Burn My Feet, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 05I Run Outside to Play and Burn My FeetView larger image ↗︎

One Night We Heard the Owl in the Tree, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 06One Night We Heard the Owl in the TreeView larger image ↗︎

The One-Eyed Maid Said We Would Have to Move Far Away, House with Four Walls, by Zarina — 07The One-Eyed Maid Said We Would Have to Move Far AwayView larger image ↗︎