Hemu Aggarwal

Hemu Aggarwal, artist, writer, and poet, was born in
Veraval, Gujarat State, India. She earned her Master’s
Degree (MFA) in graphic design from the City University
of New York. She came to the U.S. in 1966 for higher
education.
Hemu has written several newspaper and magazine articles,
but this is her first attempt to translate hundreds of letters
and write a book.
She is an artist by profession. After graduation, she worked
in graphic design firms in New York City for about ten
years. She designed many album covers of famous singers,
such as the Beatles, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck,
Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Mantovani, and many hip-hop artists, including Grandmaster Flash and the Furious
Five, and The Sugarhill Gang. In 1980, she established her
creative design firm, AQ Graphic Inc., in Rockland County,
N.Y. She ran it successfully for over 25 years while raising
a family and providing leadership to several community
and arts organizations. She founded two not-for-profit
organizations. One was Asian Women’s Alliance for
Kinship and Equality (AWAKE), and the second was The
WorldFest New York. Both organizations received the
County Executive’s Arts Award.

Hemu is a prolific painter and creator. She has worked in
various media, from graphic design to painting, digital art,
and photography. She has won awards, certificates of merit,
and certificates of recognition for her acrylic paintings and
digital art.
She loves to write poems. Literary magazine Spillwords
Press has published several poems written by her. She has
designed and manufactured one-of-a-kind ahimsa (nonviolence) silk scarves, ladies’ tops, and purses using her
painting or digital artwork.
This book represents several years of translating the letters
(written in the Gujarati Language), historical research, and
writing.
Artist statement about her paintings: “When I paint, I
want to express my inner images of what is
happening around me rather than what I see in my
surroundings. My paintings seem like strange dreams
that come repeatedly but are different every time. My
artworks carry some message. I like my painting
when I feel like looking at it repeatedly, and every
time I see it, I find something new, just like a dream.
Each of my works looks like a new experiment. There
is a fascination with texture and colors. I thrive on
creating unusual textures and unique color
combinations in my work. My style includes
contemporary realism and abstract expressionism.
Lately, I have been experimenting with Pour
THE FORBIDDEN LETTERS
403
paintings.”
Pour painting is an innovative way to use acrylic paints to
create an art piece. Instead of using brushes, palette knives,
or other tools, one can mix colors in a cup and pour them
onto the surface. Then tilt the canvas to move colors around
to achieve desired results.
Hemu lives in Petaluma, California, with her husband,
Yash Aggarwal. She has a daughter, Sona Aggarwal
(married to Manuel Chirouze). Her son, Aryan Aggarwal
(married to Olga Gorbatiouk), and three grandchildren,
Alina Aggarwal, Ava Aggarwal, and Vihaan Solal
Chirouze.