Pakistani-American artist Mahwish Chishty
was originally trained in painting miniatures in her native Lahore. But
these days, Chishty is also emerging as a notable conceptual artist
abroad, treading the potent line between Pakistani and American culture.
Yesterday, in an interview with Mother Jones, Chishty discussed her paintings of American drones—which she covers in traditional Pakistani ornamentation.
More than
2,000 people have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan since the
early 2000s, mostly in the rugged northwest. The proxy war, Chishty
says, “triggered her imagination,” and she began a series of paintings
that feature the familiar shapes of the MQ-9 Reaper and other UAVs
covered in ornate decoration. The patterns are borrowed from a tradition
amongst truck drivers in Pakistan, who cover their vehicles in rich ornamentation and color as a means of pure self-expression. Chishty explained the practice to Mother Jones’ Josh Harkinson:
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