Zarina Boga - visual artist

Zarina Boga is a Tanzanian Islamic artist based out of Calgary, Alberta, where she has had numerous exhibitions. From paintings to ceramics and calligraphy, this versatile artist has a vast collection of her work, and has attracted an international following.

Her interest in art started when she attended the University of Nairobi, Kenya through the University of Manchester in England. Here she studied home economics and education leading her to experimenting with batiks, tie-dyes, and various stitched art forms later developing a passion for ceramics, pottery, henna art, and illustration. Her Islamic artwork typically fits into one of five categories: geometric patterns, stylized angular Kufic and cursive Naskhi calligraphy, flowers and animal motifs, human forms, and monuments. Her ceramic works are typically fired and glazed, and consist of decorative plates, bowls, vases, and urns. Zarina believes that art can be used to illustrate ethical and moral issues in today’s challenging and complex world. Her love for her faith, pluralism, and peace inspires her works.

"Bridging past artwork into the present," is how she describes her creations. She prefers the tactile sensation of clay, moulding plates, vases, bowls and other items into artistic pieces, often with Islamic motifs. "To me, it's a prayer, when I am working on my art," Zarina explains, and "It's a meditation. Inscribing the names of Allah brings joy to my physical and spiritual senses."

Zarina has received many accolades for her contributions to civic organizations in Calgary, including the Award for Racial Harmony, in addition to awards for her art. She has created Islamic art for exhibitions and galleries, taught art classes at various secondary and post-secondary institutions and gifted pieces to the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Human Rights Commission, and the Folk Arts Council, as well as to Mawlana Hazar Imam and Princess Zahra. She is also a founding member of the Asian Advisory Board at the Glenbow Museum, and has designed the logo for Interfaith Calgary and Women in Spirituality Calgary of which she is also one of the founding members.