Object of Desire 2005

Anila Rubiku made this drawing, Object of Desire, and it's kind of like a stage set, isn’t it? The linear perspective and the careful rendering, it all creates this dream-like space, somewhere between a memory and a projection. Look at how the marks aren't really about shading or creating volume, but about outlining and defining. And the color is so subtle, just a few touches here and there. It's like Rubiku is letting the bareness of the paper do a lot of the work. Take the woman’s dress, the way it’s been filled with these tiny dots. It’s almost like she’s been consumed by the pattern of the dress, a sense of the uncanny. Rubiku reminds me of Louise Bourgeois, in the way she explores the intricacies of human relationships and the unsettling aspects of domestic life. It’s like these artists are in conversation, across time, about the push and pull of desire and power.