Guardians of the Desert

August 31 - September 29th at YiWei Gallery

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 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.

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.

Nina K Ekman x Catherine Ruane