Women’s Qualities
Reflecting on womanhood through nature and words
Roof shot of “Women’s Qualities” (c) Charles Mayer
With seven familiar words, internationally renowned multimedia artist Ghada Amer asks us to consider the meaning of feminity and womanhood while providing a contemplative space to do it. This artwork, first installed at South Korea's Busan Biennial before traveling to New York's Rockefeller Center and Palm Springs's Desert X, incorporates words Amer gathered from a poll asking people what words come to mind when they think of women. Words like "loving" and "beautiful" were suggested alongside "resilient" and "strong." These words, alongside "determined," "caring," and "nurturing," are here as planters housing an array of flora indigenous to the Northeast. Each planter contains a different plant, speaking to the diversity of characteristics that make up womanhood.
Amer's work contends with ambiguities that emerge from attempts to define or contain binaries, such as feminity or masculinity, East and West, or art and craft. Her multi-media practice spans painting, sculpture, works on paper, ceramics, and garden installations, such as “Women's Qualities.” Throughout, Amer flips traditional notions of cultural identity, abstraction, and religious fundamentalism, provoking us to consider what these definitions genuinely mean.
Ghada Amer at the Artist Talk for “Women’s Qualities” (c) Annielly Camargo
“Women's Qualities” in the Charlestown Navy Yard highlights the significant contributions of women in shipbuilding, including their efforts as critical laborers during World War II. Today, women are essential in creating a safe and vibrant waterfront for all Bostonians to take root and grow, as do the plants in “Women's Qualities.”With an international reach, the “Women's Qualities” worldwide tour is reminiscent of travels that ships built in the Navy Yard would take after launching. Responding to historical and contemporary conditions, “Women's Qualities” inspires slow looking and repeat visits to watch the plants change seasonally.
About the plants
The planters in Lot Lab’s iteration of “Women’s Qualities” are filled with native New England Plant species that the artist selected with support from Somerville-based Landscape Architects, Ground Inc. Selected plants were carefully chosen for their natural characteristics and embodiment of the meanings behind the words. Additional thanks to BrightView for their support in procuring and planting.
NURTURING – Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
RESILIENT – Cat Mint ‘Walker’s Low’ (Nepeta racemosa)
STRONG – Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
CARING – Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
DETERMINED – ‘Gro-Low’ Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)
BEAUTIFUL – Hay-scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
LOVING – ‘Firefly Diamond’ Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Banner + Album Images: (c) Annielly Camargo.