Venice, California, May 11, 2024 — Yiwei Gallery is pleased to present "Guardians of the Desert," a duo exhibition featuring recent works by Norwegian artist Nina K Ekman and Palm Desert-based artist Catherine Ruane. Through a diverse range of materials, techniques, and formats, the artists tell stories of the resilience and healing power of desert plants like palms, Joshua Trees, and succulents. The exhibition delves into the complexities of our relationship with nature and explores sustainability as a practice in art-making. Three hours east of Los Angeles sits Joshua Tree National Park. The park’s namesake trees, the ancient symbols of resilience, are in decline due to the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures and prolonged droughts. "By 2100, scientists predict that Joshua Tree National Park will lose almost all of its Joshua tree habitat to climate change," notes Philip Kiefer of National Geographic. This impending loss could trigger a cascade of effects, threatening the many species that depend on these trees for survival. In response to this ecological crisis, Guardians of the Deserts aims to raise awareness and inspire action. Catherine Ruane’s photographically detailed drawings, which capture the biological structure of desert plants, entails extensive research, allowing her to faithfully depict the plants of their intricate forms. Nina K. Ekman contributes with life-size installations that reconstructs a Yucca tree using recycled materials, offering a poetic abstraction that reflects both the fragility and resilience of this endangered landscape