To Cure Impotence, Grande Sertão Veredas National Park, Brazil

1999, printed 2001

Fazal Sheikh

Associated Names
Fazal Sheikh

Artist, American, born 1965

This is a black and white photograph featuring a single chicken in a rural setting. The chicken is standing or moving across a bare, dusty ground. There are dried plants or thatching material arranged sparsely around the edges. In the background, simple structures and bundled materials can be seen, resembling stacks of wood or agricultural products. Above the image, there is text that reads "TO CURE IMPOTENCE," and below, there are instructions related to the chicken, emphasizing natural remedies involving the chicken's claws and wine. The photograph has a documentary feel, capturing a traditional practice or way of life.
This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print and screenprint on mat board

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Joseph M. Cohen Family Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 36 × 48.5 cm (14 3/16 × 19 1/8 in.)
    mat: 60.5 × 67.5 cm (23 13/16 × 26 9/16 in.)
    framed: 62.5 × 69.5 × 3.81 cm (24 5/8 × 27 3/8 × 1 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.156.14

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Joseph Cohen, New York; gift to NGA, 2014.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2001

  • In Response to Place: Photographs from the Nature Conservancy's Last Great Places, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, September 15 – December 31, 2001; Houston Museum of Science, Houston, TX, February 1 – April 28, 2002; Bellevue Art Museum, Seattle, WA, June 29 – September 3, 2002; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, August – December 2002; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, May 10 – August 3, 2003; Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL, January 24 – March 28, 2004; Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati, OH, May 8 – June 15, 2004; Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, July 31 – September 2004; Renaissance Center, Detroit, MI, May 13 – June 26, 2005

Inscriptions

screen printed on mat in black ink, top center above photograph: TO CURE IMPOTENCE; bottom center of mat below photograph: First catch a free-range chicken. / Cut the large claws from its back feet and roast them. / Then, put the powdered claws into a liter of white wine. / After nine days serve a glass of the wine to the person at lunch and again at dinner. / Note: The person who is taking it should not know what it is for.

Wikidata ID

Q64147514

You may be interested in

Loading Results