She can feel the knots
the odd angles, the bones,
want to tell the woman to run, run, run
but deep inside, she knows it’s useless.
The two women sit so close
the damage ripples through their skin, like a wave
but only one woman’s hands shake.
Shirin Abedinirad, Evocation, 2013, Land art, Central Desert, Iran. Responding to what the artist describes as “one of the formidable problems with desert dwelling: the lack of water,” the work uses mirrored circles partially buried in golden sand to conjure “the ultimate mirage in the desert.” Reflecting the sky across the dunes as if it were pools of water, the installation transforms absence into illusion, longing, and wonder, challenging the fragile boundary between perception and nature. Artwork courtesy of featured artist Shirin Abedinirad.
