Meet Bushra Gill

We recently connected with Bushra Gill and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bushra, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Emigrating at a young age, I’ve always felt a part of things but was actually apart from most everything. I didn’t always understand kid code in suburban Texas, but I didn’t feel all that different from other kids–until someone would point out that I was. The solution to the puzzle was to buckle down to work, get top grades, and pursue what I loved-art. That last part though made me even more isolated. Art made me an oddball in the Pakistani community, in the Muslim community, and membership in those groups didn’t align easily with the art world.

I used to try to assimilate to feel a part of things. Now, I am comfortable being apart, finally embracing my differences as a way to stand out. The scarf that covers my hair is the first thing people see when they look at me, but the connection I am able to forge through my work and the conversation around it is the thing that lasts. Much of my work uses Islamic geometric patterns, but I use them as a structure, indirectly suggesting a master plan that unites us to each other and the world. Embracing the otherness that sets me apart, I have found my place in the room.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an artist who works in a combination of printmaking and painting, looking for patterns/connections between the seen and unseen worlds. In my work, I use recognizable images of trees, flowers, or people in silhouette, along with Islamic geometric patterns. I am interested in the layers between people and relationships and how they shift and rearrange. I want to share those stories and connect them to growth and connections made in the natural world. Islamic geometric patterns all derive from a circle, which means there are an infinite number of connections. I like how the pattern imposes a system, indirectly suggesting an overarching order. In the process, dimensions of my subjects are simultaneously revealed and concealed, enabling me to explore ideas of that which is present, but veiled.

Having recently curated my first group show, I am currently curating my own work for a couple of big shows this fall. The first is a solo show at the Library Community Art Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA, one town over from where I live & work. I’m excited to show lots of my larger works from the Life in a Day series of trees showing the passage of time. The show is called Connections, since all of my work is about looking for connection between people and everything around us. In October, I have a solo show at Wall Box Gallery in South San Francisco that will feature a series of botanical paintings that explore an unseen order using geometric patterns. I am also so pleased to be included in Glimmers, an exhibition at Euphrat Museum of Art, in Cupertino, CA, with several pieces from my Life in a Day, Attachments, and Celestial series, which also opens in October. Works from the shows will be available through my website, bushragill.com, along with an array of smaller works.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Having to push yourself harder because that is the only option you can control is a meaningful motivator. I could control how much I studied and worked, so that was my first approach and what I’ve continued to use every step of the way. Building skills, accumulating knowledge and knowing I can do so gives me confidence to try anything.

When everything is new to you–language, landscape, lifestyle, you learn how to adjust quickly. Walking into unfamiliar territory isn’t easy, but the early practice from being an immigrant helped me explore new paths over and over. Instability can be scary, but going through the process of learning and finding your feet is powerful, which is encouragement to keep pushing.

The earliest messaging I got was to be self-reliant always. But since that message came from a close & supportive family, I also understood the importance of community. I’ve learned to reach out to find the people who will help me get where I want to go. I believe strongly in community over competition and find that we all grow faster together.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I write lists on paper, either my journal/sketchbook or on a notepad. I begin with accomplishments–three recent wins and what I got done yesterday. This works as a reminder to myself that I just have to keep going. Then I write a list of things to do. It has to be on paper so I can cross stuff off with a different color, and so that I can see it at a glance across my studio.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All photographs by Bushra Gill

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