%C2%A9 Carrie Mae Weems
The Shape of Things, 1996
Photogravure on paperexpand_more
Gift of funds from the Print and Drawing Councilexpand_more P.98.8
Not on Viewexpand_more
Carrie Mae Weems visited the African continent for the first time in 1993, where she photographed the architecture of an ancient urban center, Djenné, in Mali. Identifying masculine or feminine qualities in certain spaces of the city, she photographed towers, portals, and halls to illuminate visual parallels with human bodies. This series of photographs celebrates not only the sensual qualities of the built environment in Djenné, but the human narrative running throughout its history and survival. As a Black American woman, Weems traveled with a commitment to grappling with the histories of the transatlantic slave trade, and sought their echoes across the Western African nations of Ghana, Senegal, and Mali.
Details
- Title
- The Shape of Things
- Artist Life
- born 1953
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.98.8
- Provenance
- [Crown Point Press, San Francisco]; sold to MIA, 1998.
- Curator Approved
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© Carrie Mae Weems