A Place for Him, A Place for Her
Artist
Carrie Mae Weems
(American, born 1953)
Date1993
MediumGelatin silver prints with text panels
DimensionsImage and sheet (each): 20 × 20 inches (50.8 × 50.8 cm)
Framed (each): 20 7/8 × 20 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches (53.02 × 53.02 × 4.45 cm)
Framed (all 4, linear): 20 7/8 × 83 5/8 × 1 3/4 inches (53.02 × 212.41 × 4.45 cm)
Framed (each): 20 7/8 × 20 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches (53.02 × 53.02 × 4.45 cm)
Framed (all 4, linear): 20 7/8 × 83 5/8 × 1 3/4 inches (53.02 × 212.41 × 4.45 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation
Object number2016.75.357.1-4
Signednone
Inscribedsee component records
Markingssee component records
Edition/State/Proofed. 3/10 + 2 A.P.s
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionQuadriptych composed of two images and two text panels. One image is of an earthen structure with a rug laid out on the rectangular plinth platform; the structure is formed from a mud-like material which creates smooth corners, an inset entrance, and two smaller openings above. The other image is also architectural; above a wall sits three minarets each with a spire and wood scaffolding protruding in regular intervals across the facade; leafy branches frame the upper right corner of the image. There are two text panels; each a playful narrative of Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden with musings about woman at the bottom of one and the other about man.Gallery LabelCarrie Mae Weems conceived of A Place for Him, A Place for Her while traveling through Africa to research the history of slavery. She encountered the structures seen here in Djenne, Mali, one of the oldest cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Weems was struck by the gendered appearance of the architecture. The phallic towers and hidden entryways suggested male and female anatomy to the artist. Weems paired the documentary-style photographs with a playful retelling of the story of Adam and Eve. Together, her words and images emphasize the social inequities embedded in our cultural and historical narratives.
The Hall Family Foundation, Kansas City, MO, 2016;
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2016.
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2016.
Copyright© Carrie Mae Weems
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