No sharam, no problem: Maria Qamar, aka @hatecopy, on fighting for women in the arts

(Courtesy of Maria Qamar Instagram)

Maria’s distinctive style — Indian soap opera meets Roy Lichtenstein comic — has taken the art world by storm.

“I was denied an education in the arts,” shares desi artist Maria Qamar. “I was told, ‘This is not a nice thing, an appropriate thing or a proper thing to do [for a girl].’” Her parents feared that she wouldn’t be able to support herself as an artist — but they had no need to worry. With more than 195,000 Instagram followers, a solo exhibit at the Richard Taittinger Gallery in New York City and a published book, Maria’s distinctive style (Indian soap opera meets Roy Lichtenstein comic) has taken the art world by storm.

Using the handle @hatecopy, Maria began sharing her punchy and colourful pop art on Instagram in 2015 after leaving a copywriting job. From saree jokes to samosa bean bag chairs, her depictions of South Asian culture resonate with fans around the world. 

The heroes in Maria’s artwork are women — angry, shameless, sometimes sly — adorned with bindis and looking glam. In Hinglish (a combination of Hindi and English), Maria challenges patriarchy, hypocrisy, racism and stereotypes, while also celebrating sisterhood, love and South Asian cuisine. Each art piece seems like a soundbite from her inner monologue or a snapshot of an interaction she once had.

The themes in Maria's work reflect her upbringing. Born in Pakistan, Maria moved with her parents from Karachi to Toronto, Canada when she was 9 years old. One year after their move, 9/11 happened and her classmates bullied her for being brown. Maria found solace by drawing, where her voice felt strongest. It was then that she realised she wanted to be an artist. However, her parents had other ideas for her future.   

“My parents were like, ‘You’re not going into a career that sounds good to us. We’re not helping you pay for school,’” Maria remembers. “It was kind of like, I either don’t get an education at all because I want to be an artist, or pick something and figure it out once I can make my own decisions.” Partly to appease her parents, she decided to study advertising at Seneca College.

“Fight Beti!” poster print. (Courtesy of Maria Qamar)

After graduating from university, Maria started working in copywriting, but her heart wasn’t in it (her handle @hatecopy was inspired by this period of her life). When she found success in sharing her drawings on Instagram, Maria decided to pursue art professionally. Time and financial success has alleviated some of her parents’ initial concerns about her career path. Maria knows now that their hesitation stemmed from their experience as immigrants. They worked hard to provide for their family and feared the life of an artist would be too unstable.

“My goal is for South Asian families and people to understand that the arts isn’t a terrible place to be. It’s something that contributes to culture. Our culture is so rich and vibrant. We have mosques and temples; the arts built the culture. It’s only fair that we give back and allow young girls and women to contribute,” says Maria.

To girls who want to study subjects or make career choices that their parents disapprove of due to cultural norms, Maria’s advice is simple: “Do it anyway.” 

“There are these girls that are super artistic and talented in photography, dancing or whatever it is. They should be in the arts, but they become doctors or engineers. Which is obviously a great career path, but now I see a lot of women come into the gallery and say, ‘I always wanted to do this. How can I start my own business? I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I’m an accountant.’ Education doesn’t really mean you’re educated or not — it’s do you have the right to be educated in what you want to learn and do in life.” 

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In a book at the back of her gallery in New York is a piece called, “Fight Beti!” It seems to epitomise the struggle and strength of the desi women featured in Maria's work. It’s a rallying call for desi women to come together — and a reminder that the world needs to recognise and support women of colour.

“We can be represented better in galleries in the art world, in the advertising world, literally any corporate situation,” explains Maria. “The more representation we see, the better it is for the country and nation to get a diverse perspective on life.”

Seeing desi men and women have conversations about her work makes Maria proud. It gives her hope that things will improve for the next generation of girls and that they won’t have to fight as hard as she did to pursue their passions. Maria did not grow up learning from art teachers or seeing female artists who looked like her. That’s why now, she approaches each day as a student, hoping to learn how her art can better call out injustice and create change. 

But her work is already paving the way for future desi artists. The next generation of girls can now brush off disapproval and say, “Maria did it and so can I.”