Invisible Threads are the Strongest Ties (Nietzsche)
Gouache on wasli paper
35×37 cm
2014
Available
Haider has witnessed how fragile the ties that bind communities, relationships and bodies together can be and expresses this vulnerability through intricate renderings of cloth and thread on paper using gouache and pencil. The use of threads, fabrics and needles symbolise these intimate wounds and tears as well as the upheavals to various relationships throughout her life. A ‘thread’ is defined as a fine cord made of two or more filaments twisted together. In a practical context, it is something that can be used to sew and mend fabrics, but in a lateral context, it is a thread of human affairs and relationships.
Haider wants to redefine the traditional techniques of weaving and embroidery through her artwork. She chooses to subvert these traditional crafts through using traditional materials in an unorthodox way. The simplicity and fragility in her paintings shows the fragility of relationships, and how a mere thread binds everything. Relationships, like threads, can be so sensitive that they break easily, and on the other hand, it can be so strong they can hold everything together.
Living and working in Melbourne, Australia, Rubaba Haider holds a Bachelor in Fine Art (Miniature Painting) from the National College of Arts, Pakistan and recently completed a Bachelor in Art (Criminal Justice) from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne. The artist’s work has been shown in group exhibitions both in Australia and overseas and is held in a number of private collections in Europe, the subcontinent and Australia.
Photo Credits | Rubaba Haider & Niagara Galleries