Nina K Ekman & Catherine Ruane : Guardians of the Desert: Los Angeles
31 August - 29 September 2024
Installation Views
Press release

Yiwei Gallery is pleased to present "Guardians of the Desert," a duo exhibition featuring recent works by Norwegian artist Nina K Ekman and Palm Desert-based artist Catherine Ruane. Through a diverse range of materials, techniques, and formats, the artists tell stories of the resilience and healing power of desert plants like palms, Joshua Trees, and succulents. The exhibition delves into the complexities of our relationship with nature and explores sustainability as a practice in art-making.

 

Nina K Ekman

Nina Ekman is a Norwegian visual artist residing in Copenhagen, Denmark, and California, USA. Her work draws inspiration from the intricate relationship between nature and humanity, deeply rooted in her upbringing in northern Norway. Ekman explores themes of human influence and consumerism on nature through her diverse practice, which spans painting, textile sculpture, and etching. Her art has been exhibited in solo and group shows across museums, galleries, and art fairs in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, France, and major US cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

 
Ekman's textile sculptures initially captivate with their vibrant colors and soft textures, yet they offer much more. Her works delve into themes of plant life, ecosystems, and societal healing. By using over 90% recycled textile industry yarns, Ekman addresses the scars industrial production leaves on nature. Her creations, such as "YUCCA II (2024)" created for this exhibition, reflect on the plight of California’s iconic Joshua trees amidst climate change and development. Through creating textile plant sculpture in varied forms, thriving or wilting, Ekman challenges anthropocentric views, urging reflection on humanity's impact on broader ecosystems. Her art restores the essence of nature to a world increasingly devoid of its vitality, emphasizing the healing power of plants and nature, as she states, “We need them [plants] far more than they need us.”
 
 

Catherine Ruane

Catherine Ruane is an artist based in Southern California. Ruane earned her MFA from Otis College of Art and Design. She was awarded a scholarship to pursue extended study in drawing and printmaking in Florence Italy at Santa Reparata International School of Art. Catherine’s work has been exhibited and collected internationally including: the Villa Donata in Naples Italy, Grafiska Sallskapat Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden, Gallery Antena in Kyoto, Japan, Hyatt Hospitality Corporation, Citibank, University of Arizona Art Museum.

 

Through Ruane’s detailed drawings and paintings, she skillfully captures the essence of the wilderness, employing carefully selected charcoals to render scenes that transcend the visual and delve into the metaphors of nature-forms. In Ruane's hands, the persistence of survival becomes a universal theme, woven into the very fabric of her art, reminding viewers of the resilience that permeates all aspects of life.

Works
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