Carrie Mae Weems
The Apple of Adam's Eye, 1993
Known for her integration of photography and text, Weems has focused
her work on universal themes such as relationships and family, while
simultaneously commenting on social, cultural and historical realities.
She is one of the leading artists to emerge from a period in American
art focusing on identity politics. In The Apple of Adam's Eye, Weems
retells the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Using a folding screen as
her form, Weems worked with the FW+M to silkscreen print a central
image of a shrouded woman flanked by side panels depicting a
decorative, serpentine vine. Gold text is elaborately embroidered and
reads: "She'd always been the apple/Of Adam's Eye"
(front panels) and "Temptation my ass, desire has its place, and
besides, they were both doomed from the start" (on reverse). The
central figure shields herself, yet also reveals part of her body,
evoking a sense of sexual tension and raising issues of sexual
politics. According to Weems, the figure's poses suggests that, "both
men and women are accomplices in their own downfall, in their own
oppression, in their own victimization." (Projects: Carrie Mae Weems,
Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1995)
Carrie Mae Weems, The Apple of Adam's
Eye,
1993. 75 x 80 inches. Pigment and silk embroidery on cotton sateen
with Australian lacewood frame. Edition of 5, and 1 Artist's Proof.
Created in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum.
Photo: Will Brown.
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