Beschreibung:

Ghada Amer Noir 2 2001 Acrylic, embroidery and gel medium on fabric. 52 x 50 in. (132.1 x 127 cm). Signed, titled and dated "Ghada Amer 01 Noir" on the overlap.
Provenance Deitch Projects, New York Exhibited Bærum Municipality, Oslo, Heine Onstad Kunstsenter, September 20 – December 2, 2001; Düsseldorf, Museum Kunst Palast, February 9 – May 12, 2002; and Umeå, Sweden, BildMuseet Umeå Universitet, Ghada Amer Reading Between the Threads, p. 30 (illustrated) Literature G. Amer, Ghada Amer Reading Between the Threads, Høvikodden, 2001, p. 30 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay From a distance Amer’s paintings may resemble Abstract Expressionist or Minimalist grids, but upon closer inspection, the delicate embroidery reveals itself. Images of women in autoerotic poses are appropriated from pornographic magazines, sketched onto the canvas and then meticulously and repeatedly embroidered. The loose threads are secured by gel medium to form intricate gestures of lines. The ‘paintings’ challenge the ideas of craft versus high art, and traditional roles of men and women. By rendering her subjects as outlines in needle and thread, Amer extinguishes all brutality that could be part of a pornographic image and imparts them with an almost folkish tenderness. Amer’s women are sensual and provocative, enjoying their own beauty in autoerotic poses. They are often partially hidden behind a veil of loose threads, as if to hint at naughtiness but not reveal all. The viewer must work to visually unravel the image in paintings like Noir 2, 2001 where once examined closely, a repetition of images of a high-heeled nude woman pleasuring herself is revealed, intricately sewn in white thread on the black background. Read More