Judy ChicagoGarden Smoke

At one point during our many months of confinement due to the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, I reflected on my early days in California when I began my Atmospheres, which were intended to soften and feminize the man-made world. My friends and I simply drove around placing colored smokes wherever I wished; in parks, on beaches, in the desert and even in the national forests—which would be unthinkable today.

Over the summer of 2020, I decided to fill our own gardens with colored smokes. I surrounded these images with words that are intended to convey the many emotions I experienced as we—like the wafting smoke—came up against during all the restrictions brought about by the coronavirus. This work allowed me to express my feelings during this period; also, to attempt to wrest some moments of beauty and gratefulness from these difficult months.

— Judy Chicago, 2021