Talent

Artist, Author & Instagram Star

“Maria Qamar’s satirical art paints a harsh and hilarious reality of Asian culture — and it isn’t all bindi-wearing bliss”.

~ Dazed

What should we learn from artist and author Maria Qamar, otherwise known as Hatecopy? The answer is the underlying message of the provocative and humorous pop-art style memes featured on her Instagram feed: “Trust no aunty” being one of them.

Qamar was born in Pakistan and raised in Toronto in a traditional South Asian household where a job in the arts was looked down upon as an unstable occupation. But, like her art, Qamar was full of colour and rebellion. After being fired from an unfulfilling corporate job she decided to do what she really wanted to do — draw. She posted her first Roy Lichtenstein-inspired piece of an aunty with a speech bubble that read, “I burnt the rotis” on her Instagram account in February 2015. Her work quickly gained attention and she continued posting pop-art style memes that broach the topics that question many of the traditional beliefs from her culture that her generation relate to from a comedic angle.

Qamar has had her work exhibited at Rally, Omit Limitations and the Soho House in Toronto as well as G11 in London. She is also well known for her many collaborations and tours with another Instagram influencer in the art space called Babbu The Painter. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Al Jazeera and Cosmopolitan, and on BBC World and CBC and has also appeared on the uber hit show The Mindy Project, since Mindy Kaling is a fan. Her Instagram account has over 100,000 followers and the brand has expanded into merchandise.

Her latest accomplishment is the release of her debut book, Trust No Aunty, in August 2017, which provides illustrated advice on how to survive overbearing aunties. Qamar is empowering South Asian women by challenging the stigmas and stereotypes they face while simultaneously encouraging them to publicly embrace their “Bad Beti” personas because YOLO (you only live once).

Created on Surface – Hatecopy (Full Video)

PHOTO CREDIT

Courtesy of Maria Qamar