Mooi groot formaat! Zeer goede staat! Eigenlijk als nieuw

New York: Cheim & Read, 2014. Hardcover. Pale peach textured cloth/boards with slate lettering. Unpaginated with approx. 60 pp. and numerous color plates.

Gallery catalogue from the 2014 exhibition of work by Egyptian-born American artist Ghada Amer (b. 1963). With an extensive essay by Creissels, a professional chronology, and the images of works exhibited, each titled. One of 2000 copies.



Egyptian-born, New York artist Ghada Amer’s work is being exhibited at Cheim & Read New York until 10 May. Using images of women from various sources including magazines, Amer embroiders paintings and sews the images on to Canvas. The figures are then partially obscured by loose threads creating almost paint drop like runs across the image. These embroidered works are presented alongside steel and metal structures, decorative and imposing.

Amer aims to confront cultural objectification of the female form and here choses to do this through one of the most traditional of female roles, sewing. The works on display were produced between 2012 and 2014 and use texts and words woven in with the female form in both English and Arabic to create a new language that uses as it’s inspiration feminist texts and manifestos.

The piece The Rainbow Girl (2014) draws its inspiration from Simone de Beauvoir’s statement, “One is not born but rather becomes a woman” Amer aims to reclaim language for feminine expression and through this aligns herself with other feminist artists such as Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer. Her work seeks to challenge the male dominated world and history of painting and addresses relevant and difficult subjects such as the oppression of women in modern society.

Being presented alongside the textile works exhibited here are a selection of metal sculptures, using language and images to create filigreed structures that are inspired by and reminiscent of the latticed wooden screens found in traditional Arabic architecture. Drawing on her upbringing and juxtaposing this with her life in modern day America influence the themes of her work and she often uses pairings such as East verses West and masculinity verses femininity to highlight the issues contained within.