The relationship between globalism and its complex intersections with the discursive constructions of nationhood continuously reshape our understanding of the self and society and demands a close attention. Issues of national identity are crucial to the creation of art under globalization, thereby turning artists into cultural ambassadors. Moreover, popular discussions on contemporary art almost invariably centre on issues of identities and touches significantly on the artists’ location in answering questions of identity while exploring human space. Perhaps the rise of these ‘new’ forms of critiquing/questioning/representing national identities can be explained as a response and reaction to globalisation forces.
Pakistanis in general and Pakistani artists in particular have been preoccupied with the very issue of ‘identity’ ever since the Partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and now under current political turmoil the issues of identity (national, cultural, religious, e.t.c) have become even more crucial. Ever since the incident of Sept 11th 2001, the expansion of media coverage has resulted in an increased interest in the country’s image, as the western diatribe against the Islamic world escalate. The country’s politics makes a fine spectacle with war looking over international affairs, an unpopular new president, a tanking economy, poverty, illiteracy, corruption, political instability, international interference, terrorism, religious extremism, over-population, unemployment, extremist suicide bombings, disturbing relationships with allies along with the displacement of tens of thousands of citizens by the catastrophic earthquakes and floods in the recent past.
Set against such a backdrop, the contemporary language of art in Pakistan is shaped by these existential crises and the task of their representation, conveying the stifled feelings that artists experience as individuals or as a nation and is also the subject of Ruby Chishti’s recent show Placed, Displaced, Misplaced, exhibited at Rohtas 2, from Dec 6th to 18th, 2010. Ruby is an artist most famous for her immensely powerful (intimate) narratives fabricated with ordinary/junk materials such as; straw, cotton wool, plastic bags, old clothes and newspapers, focused on her gendered relationship to the medium. Whereas, issues of displacement and this investigation into/commentary on the plight of the country displayed in her current body of work at Rohtas is a new interest for Ruby, though the medium remains the same. Both bodies of work (old and new), in the most simplified sense, are representations of the self, except the current work situates her individual ‘I’ within a collective ‘we’. Perhaps its the invariably negative images evoked at the mention of Pakistan, resulting in an increasingly dark portrait of the country (labeled as the most dangerous place in the world by some), that after eight years of living in the US, Ruby has now felt the need to address the troubled identity of her native land.
One of the works in the show, titled, Map of My Native Land, is an assemblage of cloth with hand-stitched minarets and other recognizable elements of Islamic architecture in green and white, confined within a gold ornate frame. Contrary to the proportion of white and green on the flag, here the white that symbolizes religious minorities dominates the green, yet the clutter of minarets and arches appear to be more noticeable and imposing, criticizing the illusion that religion and force can hold people together in the face of injustice and lack of democracy. Similarly, in Portrait, the prototypes of the Islamic arch reappear with a pair of hand-stitched scissors, possibly referring to the phrase; “running with scissors”, meaning; ‘playing with fire’/to endanger one’s self or perhaps, it also refers to the common superstition; that snapping scissors in the house causes contention and hatred among family members. The scissors, in this situation, appear to be in the hands of the corrupt Islamists rallying conflict, discrimination, injustice and intolerance.
Alongside critiquing the extent of misuse of religion for political reasons, Ruby also tries to present an overview of some other unfavorable conditions prevalent in Pakistan today, such as the displacement of the flood victims and the presence of one of the largest refugee populations in the world. On one hand, Domestic Birds, is a piece that sympathizes with both victims; the unfortunate refugees and the flood-hit citizens. While on the other hand, Termite, a clutter of little tents, made of wire and cloth, in a corner of the gallery, growing along the wall, is possibly a comment on the destructive role of the refugees, implying that these Taliban turned Afghan refugees are destroying the country like a house eaten out by termites. Or perhaps, the little tents simply denote the thousands displaced by the floods and just as tired wood is helpless before an onslaught of termites, the weak structure of the Pakistani state is utterly helpless in coping with the unprecedented escalation in the number of those needing assistance. However, such associations were not fully articulated. I can’t seem to settle whether it’s the unnecessary repetition in expressing these ideas or the lack of a climax or a superficial investigation of the subject or a generalized over view of the present or an attempt to address too many issues in one body of work or an imbalance between an engagement with the medium versus engagement with the subject matter, that seems disturbing despite the fact that the work provides the right clues for accessing it. Nevertheless, this is only the beginning of an exciting body of work, engaging with issues that have a profound impact on the way we operate in relation to the socio-political reality of our everyday lives.
Pakistanis in general and Pakistani artists in particular have been preoccupied with the very issue of ‘identity’ ever since the Partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and now under current political turmoil the issues of identity (national, cultural, religious, e.t.c) have become even more crucial. Ever since the incident of Sept 11th 2001, the expansion of media coverage has resulted in an increased interest in the country’s image, as the western diatribe against the Islamic world escalate. The country’s politics makes a fine spectacle with war looking over international affairs, an unpopular new president, a tanking economy, poverty, illiteracy, corruption, political instability, international interference, terrorism, religious extremism, over-population, unemployment, extremist suicide bombings, disturbing relationships with allies along with the displacement of tens of thousands of citizens by the catastrophic earthquakes and floods in the recent past.
Set against such a backdrop, the contemporary language of art in Pakistan is shaped by these existential crises and the task of their representation, conveying the stifled feelings that artists experience as individuals or as a nation and is also the subject of Ruby Chishti’s recent show Placed, Displaced, Misplaced, exhibited at Rohtas 2, from Dec 6th to 18th, 2010. Ruby is an artist most famous for her immensely powerful (intimate) narratives fabricated with ordinary/junk materials such as; straw, cotton wool, plastic bags, old clothes and newspapers, focused on her gendered relationship to the medium. Whereas, issues of displacement and this investigation into/commentary on the plight of the country displayed in her current body of work at Rohtas is a new interest for Ruby, though the medium remains the same. Both bodies of work (old and new), in the most simplified sense, are representations of the self, except the current work situates her individual ‘I’ within a collective ‘we’. Perhaps its the invariably negative images evoked at the mention of Pakistan, resulting in an increasingly dark portrait of the country (labeled as the most dangerous place in the world by some), that after eight years of living in the US, Ruby has now felt the need to address the troubled identity of her native land.
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| Chishti, Ruby, Map of My native Land,
42 x 54", Cloth, foam, wood, thread, foam, 2010
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| Chishti, Ruby, Portrait,
Cloth, thread, plastic, metal, foam
2010.
|
One of the works in the show, titled, Map of My Native Land, is an assemblage of cloth with hand-stitched minarets and other recognizable elements of Islamic architecture in green and white, confined within a gold ornate frame. Contrary to the proportion of white and green on the flag, here the white that symbolizes religious minorities dominates the green, yet the clutter of minarets and arches appear to be more noticeable and imposing, criticizing the illusion that religion and force can hold people together in the face of injustice and lack of democracy. Similarly, in Portrait, the prototypes of the Islamic arch reappear with a pair of hand-stitched scissors, possibly referring to the phrase; “running with scissors”, meaning; ‘playing with fire’/to endanger one’s self or perhaps, it also refers to the common superstition; that snapping scissors in the house causes contention and hatred among family members. The scissors, in this situation, appear to be in the hands of the corrupt Islamists rallying conflict, discrimination, injustice and intolerance.
 |
Chishti, Ruby, Domestic Birds, Variable
Cloth, thread, plastic, metal, foam
2010.
|
 |
Termite, Variable, Cloth, thread, metal, foam
2010
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Alongside critiquing the extent of misuse of religion for political reasons, Ruby also tries to present an overview of some other unfavorable conditions prevalent in Pakistan today, such as the displacement of the flood victims and the presence of one of the largest refugee populations in the world. On one hand, Domestic Birds, is a piece that sympathizes with both victims; the unfortunate refugees and the flood-hit citizens. While on the other hand, Termite, a clutter of little tents, made of wire and cloth, in a corner of the gallery, growing along the wall, is possibly a comment on the destructive role of the refugees, implying that these Taliban turned Afghan refugees are destroying the country like a house eaten out by termites. Or perhaps, the little tents simply denote the thousands displaced by the floods and just as tired wood is helpless before an onslaught of termites, the weak structure of the Pakistani state is utterly helpless in coping with the unprecedented escalation in the number of those needing assistance. However, such associations were not fully articulated. I can’t seem to settle whether it’s the unnecessary repetition in expressing these ideas or the lack of a climax or a superficial investigation of the subject or a generalized over view of the present or an attempt to address too many issues in one body of work or an imbalance between an engagement with the medium versus engagement with the subject matter, that seems disturbing despite the fact that the work provides the right clues for accessing it. Nevertheless, this is only the beginning of an exciting body of work, engaging with issues that have a profound impact on the way we operate in relation to the socio-political reality of our everyday lives.
 |
| Chishti, Ruby, Placed, Displaced, Misplaced,
Variable, Cloth, thread, foam
2010
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