Rainbow Truck

Meet My Co-Author

Hina Abidi grew up in Pakistan, where her father’s work brought her to many different cities and towns across the country. Moving around so often, she developed a passion for the varied folk arts practiced in those places, and she now believes that artistic diversity is intrinsic to the cultural richness of a country. She was always fascinated by Pakistan’s imposing, elaborately decorated trucks, which looked just as striking while squeezing through narrow, crowded urban streets as they did while rumbling through beautiful and sprawling rural landscapes. While president of the Pakistan Arts Council of the USC Pacific Asia Museum, Hina helped bring Haider Ali, a well-known Pakistani truck artist, to the US to become an artist in residence at the museum. While there, he painted a large delivery van in the traditional truck art style which has, over the years, become a colorful part of many California art and cultural festivals, drawing fascination from children and adults alike.