Gate of Passage, by Lisa Ross
New York artist Lisa Ross photographs landscapes and the objects that inhabit them. Over one ten-year span, she visited the desert near the ancient Silk Road in Uyghur China and followed the trail of pilgrims to mazars, the sacred burial sites that honor Uyghur Muslim saints and holy persons. These markers of faith date back to the tenth century. “The holiness of this place became all-consuming,” Ross said. “Everything was created by hand. Each object that I passed had been carved, sewn, built, or placed with intention.” In her photographs, Ross honors the physicality of a people’s longings, prayers, and devotion.
