Photos By Gail

In many of her recent works, Julie Mehretu confronts extreme global events and their impact on our senses of time, space, and belonging. She based Hineni (2018)on images of the 2017 northern California wildfires, and the burning of Rohingya homes in Myanmar, as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Installation View

The word Hineni translates to “here I am“ in Hebrew. It was Moses‘s response when Yahweh (God) called his name from within the Burning Bush to tell him he would lead the Israelites to the promised land. In linking these three types of fire — environmental, intentional, prophetic — Mehretu explores the complex meanings of a single elemental force.

Photographed in the Whitney Museum in New York City.