(Ruby Chishti)
On April 6, 2019 Sacramento State University had the pleasure of having Ruby Chishti as a guest lecturer. Ruby Chishti is an artist who is from Jhang, Pakistan. She was born the fourth daughter in 1963 and grew up feeling unwanted due to gender discrimination. As an escape she made dolls and altered fabric. Chishti’s background conceptualizes her work and is both an emotional and intellectual outlet. Her work is very much autobiographical. This aspect in her work is connected to the material she uses and the subjects she portrays.
Chishti uses materials that are not meant to withstand the test of time. Straw was a material for her that was free and that was also meant to perish. This is representative of time itself, as all things in life eventually perish. She spoke about the inferiority of women that she grew up with and her attempts to bridge that gap with her art work. In her work, I Dreamt of Space Without Me in 2001, she used straw stuffed in black trash bags to build form. Crows are incorporated in the piece and have become reoccurring visual elements in her works. Crows are an important in her work as they have no sense of time. They just live.
(I Dreamt of Space Without Me, Ruby Chishti, 2001, Fabric, straw, and yarn)
In 2002 Chishti moved to the US and was holding on dearly to her memories from Pakistan. As an attempt to mimic her memories she created Sketch of a Fading Memory in 2007.
(Sketch of a Fading Memory, Ruby Chishti, 2007, twigs)
This piece is incredibly powerful. It’s a site specific self portrait of her as a child with her mother. In representing the sacred image of divine motherhood, she wanted to reverse the roles of mother and child. This hits home for me as I am a mother. As parents we are the protectors, providers, and teachers of our children, however everyday I learn and discover new things from my daughter as well as recognize the purity of the simple things in life.
Ruby lost her brother abruptly from cancer at the age of 27 which heavily impacted her and her work. Chishti created a piece called …and then I buried my pride along with you, 2008. This piece represents her mothers image in a soft sculpture as her body is absorbing her brothers body.
(Ruby Chishti, and then I buried my pride along with you, 2008)
The personal aspect in this work is something that I can also relate to as my mother lost her first born. I have no memory of him as he passed long before I was born. The concept of having another brother is always present, though. I may not have known him but my mother has absorbed his memory.
(Ruby Chishti, Live, Laugh, Love, 2009, Chicken wire and fabric)
Live, laugh, love, from 2009 is another work of Chishti's that I really enjoyed. It is sculptural but it can also be worn, which I find extremely fascinating. The meaning behind is just as interesting. Chishti explained that this work represents the idea of homes and buildings. Apartment building are full of the homes of different walks of live. This piece is very inclusive to all and can be related to on a personal level as well as a wider scope. I think of all the different living situations there. Some people live in apartments, houses, the street, tents, huts even. The home that we are raised in and whatever living situations we experience in our lives has a vast amount of meaning to us as individuals.
Ruby Chishti travels around the world showing her art. Her work is personal and collective, contrasting human connection. As time continues and progresses we become busier and so we try to cling onto human connection. The more we lose it, the more we value it. Listening to her story, her process, and even her struggles in-between have been truly moving. I am thankful for her visit to Sac State.
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