John Baldessari (1931 - National City, California)
Camel (Albino) Contemplating Needle, 2013
fiberglass, aluminum, stainless steel, acrylic, and paint

About The Work

John Baldessari's sculpture Camel (Albino) Contemplating Needle highlights a confluence of belief from several different cultures. References to the camel and the needle appear in the Quran, the Bible, and the Midrash. A life-size dromedary with its neck extended inquisitively eyes a super-sized needle in a way that makes the viewer think it could actually pass through the needle's eye. The colorless beast with striking blue eyes is simultaneously intriguing and peculiar especially when stripped of its pigment and fur. 

Biography

John Baldessari is an American conceptual artist who lives and works in Santa Monica. He attended San Diego State University and did post-graduate work at the Otis Art Institute, Chouinard Art Institute and the University of California, Berkeley. He taught at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California from 1970–1988 and the University of California at Los Angeles from 1996–2007.