Unrevealed, Site 2 (Red Masthead)

In 2002 the New York–based artist Lisa Ross traveled to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, beginning a ten-year journey through the Taklamakan Desert and eventually becoming one of the very few Westerners with meaningful access to the remote region. During this time Ross photographed mazars, sacred Islamic burial sites that are erected to commemorate the lives of Muslim saints. This photograph was taken at the very first mazar Ross encountered in the region, though it was taken on her fourth visit to the site. As suggested by the title, this work focuses on the red flag at the corner of the central crib-like burial marker, which embodies a moment of stillness even as the surrounding flapping flags suggest the animation of the wind. Both of the “cribs” in the foreground bear tulums, or sheepskins bound together around bundles of straw. Tulum are placed on branches to mark the sacredness of the mazar and the saint it represents. Having considered the similarity between the seemingly infinite expanse of the desert sand and the vastness of the ocean, Ross has composed this photograph to make the cribs feel almost like boats sailing through the sea.