SaveArtSpace x Womxn in Windows is proud to present American Gurl: home — land, a group public art exhibition on billboard ad space in Los Angeles, CA, during Frieze Los Angeles, opening February 14, 2024, curated by Zehra Zehra & Kilo Kish.

Guided by the central question, “How do we re-imagine the American Dream to include the hopes, musings, and fantasies of women?” home — land interrogates our relationships with the land we inhabit, examining how experiences with the natural world influence our understanding of self. The exhibition further explores the concept of home, how locations shape our identities and reflect on themes of diaspora and displacement, revealing how these narratives inform our collective connection to place.

The works presented will elucidate the artists' diverse relationships to land, space, and community in America. They celebrate beauty while mourning its loss, advocating for transformation and regeneration. As land and water provide a sense of belonging, the American Gurl seeks to challenge the archetypal American woman, encouraging new visions of self and country. This exhibition functions as a play lab for reflection, connection, and the celebration of unique perspectives, serving as a mirror to reflect our nation more completely and inviting us to consider how our feminine identities and natural environment are intertwined. Through this exploration, we envision a more inclusive and nuanced narrative of the American Dream.

We invite artists of all ages and talents to submit their artwork between November 19, 2024 and January 6, 2025. This is an opportunity to have your work placed on billboard ad space in Los Angeles, CA, during Frieze Art Week.

Open call for art ends January 6, 2025. There is a $10 donation per image submission to participate, each donation is tax deductible and goes to producing the public art.

Selected artists will be announced after January 20, 2025. Public art will be on view starting February 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA, and will be on view for at least one month.

Curators

Zehra Zehra is the Founder of Womxn in Windows, a curator, and cultural producer with over a decade's experience in the art and design world. She founded WxW in 2019 to be an ever evolving platform that presents video-based art and film when she saw a need for more women (cis, trans and non-binary inclusive) of diverse backgrounds to have opportunities to both show their work in public spaces and engage with one another. 

Connect with Zehra Zehra on Instagram at @zehrahmed.

Kilo Kish is an interdisciplinary artist working in music, film, installation, performance and the written word. Her work is characterized by existentialism, absurdity and humor, explored through popular media formats like songs and music videos. Her work has been featured in Vogue, W Magazine, The New York Times, Pitchfork, Dazed, The Guardian, and Billboard, among others. Her films have screened at the Getty Center, The Hammer Museum, and the Museum of Image and Sound in Brazil. 

Her most recent exploration is American Gurl, an album and on going art exploration. First initiated to explore the current state of the entertainment industry and the expectations placed on artists, further questions emerged around national history, identity, dreaming in America. These works were on view in 2022 as Times Square Arts Council's Midnight Moment, the world's largest, longest-running digital art exhibition. American Gurl served as the curatorial concept for a group exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles in 2023. 

Connect with Kilo Kish on Instagram at @kilokish.

Participating Organizations

Womxn in Windows is a platform for the perspectives of women on culture, identity and society. What started as an annual public exhibition of women-made art films in storefront windows is now on a mission to support intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogue. WxW has been regarded by the LA Times as 'a video art show made for this moment' and by LA Weekly as 'an installation that challenges conventions of female representation'. Through the years WxW has shown the works of digital artists and filmmakers such as Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Martine Syms, Ja'tovia Gary, Kilo Kish, Ali ma Lee, Christine Yuan, Yumna Al Arashi & Arshia Fatima Haq among many others. 

Connect with Womxn in Windows on Instagram at @womxninwindows.

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.