Ishara Art Foundation was founded in 2019 as a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting contemporary art of South Asia. Located in Dubai, the Foundation supports emerging and established practices that advance critical dialogue and explore global interconnections. Guided by a research-led approach, Ishara realizes its mission through exhibitions, onsite and online programs, education initiatives, and collaborations in the UAE and internationally. The Foundation facilitates exchange between South Asian and international artistic networks, including museums, foundations, institutions, galleries, and individuals.

The Ishara logo, a synthesis of a square and circle, is based on an ideogram by Zarina to convey the word ’آسمان’ (‘Aasman’), sky. It forms one of 36 images from ‘Home is a Foreign Place’ (1999), a work in the collection of Ishara’s Founder and Chairperson, Smita Prabhakar. Ishara signifies a gesture, a signal or a hint, and is a word common to several languages including Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Swahili, and Urdu. Ishara is ever grateful for Zarina and her family's generosity in using the ideogram in the Foundation’s logo.