Ghada Amer at Desert X, Rancho Mirage, CA, United States
Women's Qualities, 12 Mar - 16 May 2021
Desert X is an outdoor exhibition festival located in the Californian desert of Coachella Valley, taking place for the third time since 2017. Evolving not only around this particular place but also around the idea of the desert, the exhibition gathers works by different artists that explore socio-political and cultural realities of the valley’s residents.
Ghada Amer’s garden sculpture 'Women’s Qualities' consists of raised flower beds in the shapes of letters. First realised for the Metropolitan Museum of Pusan, Korea, in 2001, the artist conducted a survey on site in which local residents were asked to name female characteristics. This recent American version of the work forms the words 'nurturing', 'resilient', 'strong', 'caring', 'determined', 'beautiful' and 'loving', by which inhabitants of the Coachella Valley identify or have been described. Arranged in a circle, the installation fills the circular Great Lawn of Sunnylands, offering a contemplative meeting point within nature and art.
Photo credits: Ghada Amer, Women's Qualities, Desert X, 2021 © Ghada Amer, courtesy Desert X, photo © Lance Gerber/ Video credits: Ghada Amer, Women's Qualities, Desert X, courtesy Desert X
Find out more on the Desert X website.