SEPT 5 – OCT 11 : Affiliations, The Art of Belonging


DAVID SERVOSS
RUBY CHISHTI
PRADIP MALDE
VON KOMMANIVANH

Chicago, Illinois;
“Affiliations” is a mixed media show about belonging; featuring works by Ruby Chishti, David Servoss, Pradip Malde, and Von Kommanivanh. The exhibition will run from September 5 to October 11. An opening reception will be held at Walsh Gallery Friday, September 5th from 5 to 9 pm. All four artists will be present at the reception.

Ruby Chishti, a recent immigrant from Pakistan, is having her first US show at Walsh Gallery. Ms. Chishti was born the youngest of four daughters into a traditional Pakistani family. Ruby’s inspiration for her installation comes from her childhood experience of doll making using scrap materials. Her work presents a response to the gender bias she encountered in Pakistan. By transforming discarded cloth into form, Ms. Chishti has given life to figures of buffalos, crows, an old headless couple, and a group of mourning women. Her installation is entitled "Unending Ceremony," describing a group of women who simultaneously mourn and wait for a person who is never coming back. Ms. Chishti will be at the opening reception.

David Servoss, former Chicagoan turned New Yorker, will be exhibiting an installation entitled "The Work: Distillation". This figurative sculptural installation represents landscapes of egos stemming from a central figure that is placed on a pedestal. The central figure is a 3ft tall self–portrait of the artist at a youthful age, made of hydrocal and wood and coated in a cinnabar lacquer. There are seven fiberglass figurines ranging in size from 3 feet to 6 inches that are interconnected to form a loose root system emanating from the central figure. Mr. Servoss is exploring views of his psyche as seen through concepts of early alchemy and current theories in astrophysics. Also on view will be documentation of Mr. Servoss’s recent performance piece “Descendant,” in which he deconstructed a portion of the gallery wall. Mr. Servoss will be at the opening reception.

Visual artist Pradip Malde will show an array of ethereal photographs entitled “Campsite for the Non-Citizen.” In this work Mr. Malde takes simple objects like shorn wool and tea leaves and turns them into ambiguous sensual forms. Mr. Malde explores the boundaries between animate and inanimate, while celebrating the way in which an object in a space is defined by its environment. Mr. Malde is of Indian descent although he was born in Tanzania, grew up in Europe, and is about to become a U.S. citizen in Tennessee. Mr. Malde’s work has been shown internationally. His works have been collected by the following museums: the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum London, and others. Mr. Malde will be present at the opening reception.

Von Kommanivanh, a former graffiti artist of Laotian descent, will debut his mural entitled, “Ten Animals I Slam in a Net.” This refers to the fact that when he first immigrated to the U.S., ten of his family members slept in one bed. His mural will be made on hanging masonite panels. The room will also house bars on the windows to create a trapped feeling. Mr. Kommanivanh is largely self–taught, though he was able to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for one year. Also of note is that his installtion title reads the same backwards and forwards. Mr. Kommanivanh will be present at the opening reception.