Desire Lines by Igshaan Adams: Tracing Through Past and Future
For me, a desire line is evidence that people are willing to go against what’s been laid out for them, or what the expectation is for their life.
— Igshaan Adams
What is the most anticipated art exhibition in Chicago this April? Desire Lines showing at the Art Institute came out on top of my list.
Created by South African artist Igshaan Adams, Desire Lines was an astonishing textile haven that carried us through the artist’s past, presence, and future, weaving old and new influences the artist underwent into a beautiful narrative. For those of us who also left our home country to chase the calling resonating in the bottom of our souls, Desire Lines brought out some of my deepest emotions. Here, you’ll see resonance from the past, struggles in the present, and outlooks of an untold future.
Desire Lines is available for viewing at the Art Institute of Chicago now through Aug 1 and is installed in the museum’s Modern Wing. No separate tickets other than General Admission is required to see this exhibition.
Objects from A Past Life
Artists are nostalgic creatures, for the better or the worst. No wonder, then, Desire Lines opened with objects that held significant meanings from the artist’s past. Made with woven wool, nylon rope, string, beads, mild steel, and even furniture pieces, these objects spoke from the artist’s heart, allowing the audience a sneak peek into his childhood and heritage.
Stofike Oorskot, previously exhibited in Cape Town as part of an exhibition focusing on handcraft productions made by women, was the first piece that caught my eyes as I walked through the door. Then, on one side of the wall, we see a giant carpet in the shape of Igshaan’s past home, upon which empty spaces were carved out, indicating the placement of furniture. On the other side, we head into a hallway covered by aged wallpaper, so brittle that visitors were told to lift their feet to avoid damaging the textiles.
Therefore, the first room showed us the artist’s roots and past. It indicates what was “laid out” for him, yet not in a negative way. Rather, using weaving as the presentation method, Igshaan approached his previous experiences and encounters with admiration and respect, displaying the craftsmanship and intricacy behind the traditional South African lifestyle even if it may seem obsolete from the modern eyes. After all, artists are sentimental creatures, to the point that we will always draw from what was left behind, whether good or bad, painful or delightful. As long as something is part of our memory, we will always trace ourselves back to its beauty that at one point helped shape our souls.
Igshaan showed us a desolate house where carpets were falling apart around the furniture legs that seemed to have rooted deeply through the ground. Yet we saw a young boy running across the hallway that seemed to be falling apart. There was no more world. The colorful wallpapers were fortresses, and the desks and chairs formed the most complicated labyrinth within which the artist resided, navigated, and grew. Stumble across the curtains. Tumble over a loose seam. Live, laugh, love, and learn, as we could only live once as pure children.
Treading Through The Reality
Following the directions, we then stepped into the main gallery, where the artist’s mind, stimulated by internal conflicts and external turmoils, exploded exponentially into the specially-commissioned piece taking over the center of the main exhibition hall, going from floor to ceiling, guiding viewers through a suspended reality.
Honestly, the main exhibition was the reason I decided to pay Desire Lines a visit. The images I saw on Instagram resembled my favorite artist, Chihiro Shiota’s installation so much not only in format but in the subjects of spirituality, journey, and internal growth.
This large-scale installation is a newly commissioned piece specifically created for the exhibition. Therefore, it’s only natural to think this piece best illustrated the concept and philosophy behind “desire lines.”
So, what are desire lines?
As the artist said himself, desire lines symbolize one’s willingness “to go against what’s been laid out for them, or what the expectation is for their life,” so they can achieve a life that resonates with what their heart truly longs — desires.
Then, I regard desire lines, and this installation, as a universal map indicating the many paths we’ve taken to reach where we are, and the many paths we shall continue to choose, may them be peaceful or treacherous, to reach where we believe we belong. Walking through the main exhibition hall, it was chaos in order. Perspectives are sliced, and views are rearranged as we peak through the metal web. And the dangling small pendants and crystal shards must be the significant moments through that journey.
Tracing the lines, I knew I was tracing my and someone else’s life altogether. Our stories may be different, but our desires to live must have been the same.
A Map for Culture and Identity
With all that’s been said, I cannot think of a more suitable image to conclude this review than the literal map in the exhibition. Titled “I was a hidden treasure, then I wanted to be known…,” the piece used various textiles to recreate landscapes: mountains, fields, waters, and even households and communities.
This piece is so self-explanatory by form and by its name, that there is no need for me to do any explanation. Therefore, the only thing left to do is to lose ourselves in the details and complexity woven with simple fabrics and threads. And let your mind draw from your memories. Do these formations remind you of the rice fields in your hometown, or the secret hike you’d visit when you had a bad day? Do you think of the landscapes of your home country, if you’re like the artist and myself, who left their home nation for a better future betting on 0.0001% of possibility? Or do you see yourself in that colorful, lush land, waiting to be discovered?
After going through the exhibition, I returned to this piece and sat there for quite a while, looking back at my eight years in the United States. And I see my homeland from this map: so grand, so magnificent, yet so small for my wildest dreams.
Got to admit: It’s been a while since I so deeply connect with an exhibition.
As the first large-scale exhibition in the United States presenting the works of Igshaan Adams, Desire Lines lived up to all my expectations. An immigrant myself, I find the subjects and stories hidden in these mixed media pieces resonating profoundly with my experience:
- The feeling of never heard or seen, the deafening scream inside my soul trying to break through the suffocating atmosphere in my home country
- the strangeness of landing in a country on the other side of the Earth
- the confusion as my identity clashes with a society whose values and customs are drastically different yet nostalgically relatable
- and the burning, unyielding desire to be found by someone
Whether you feel overwhelmed by life, or are unsure where your next chapter should look like, the art of Igshaan Adams will give you peace and open your eyes.
Visit Desire Line before the exhibition is over. You can grab some GA tickets easily via Chicago Art Institute’s website, which also grants you access to the rest of the museum. Again, the exhibition is only there for another month-and-half until Aug 1, 2022.
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Do you want me to check out a certain exhibition? Shoot an email to xiao.fariadacunha@xiaochineseart.com or leave a comment here! I cover physical exhibitions in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicagoland, and virtual exhibitions across the world. Have an interview idea? Send a pitch over!
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