Born in 1970 in Alappuzha, Kerala, Zakkir Hussain’s formative years in art, were influenced by the place and its theatre groups. In the late 1980s, he joined 'Samskara', an alternative cultural centre in Eramalloor and the exchange of ideas opened up spaces to engage with the multi layers of cultural representations. Making political posters with other artists stimulated in him the relevance of depicting social and political languages in his works.

He received a degree in painting from the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum in 1994 and Masters in Graphics from the M.S. University of Baroda in 1997.

Zakkir’s universe is dense with people, discarded objects and ghettoised spaces caught in an array of circumstances. The excess of visual imageries in the surface of many of his works is an outcome of the intensity in which his politico - linguistic strategies confront with multiple notions of realities. These visions are not fantasies, but are critical concerns that the artist recognises. Many of his works can be read as amputations of the history of visual representations as he recognises that history is the temporal marker of power. He searches for what is beyond the beautiful - the horror veiled by the fascinating presence of beauty. His works are anti disciplinary agents which travel through forgotten and forbidden memories, in the process of becoming the language ofthe unspeakable.

Zakkir Hussain has exhibited in solos and group shows nationally and internationally .The artist lives and works in Kochi.