Made in L.A. artist, Amanda Ross-Ho's practice spans installation, sculpture, painting, and photography, often transforming ordinary, mass-produced objects into sites of intimacy and inquiry. Ross-Ho devised an edition for the Hammer store that is connected to her installation in the Biennial, which draws upon her experience as a longtime caretaker for family and considers time, longevity, and resilience. She writes:
"In March of 2020 at the onset of Covid-19, my father Ruyell Ho was hit by a car walking across the street from his apartment. He sustained numerous injuries, including fractured hips and a traumatic head injury for which he required numerous surgeries. Having already survived caner years before, my dad successfully made it through multiple procedures, prompting his brain surgeon to exclaim excitedly that he was a tough individual. While my dad was in recovery, I shared the doctor's comment with him, and he was amused to no end. He repeated it over and over, clearly proud of the moniker. Due to pandemic restrictions, I was unable to see my dad for over a year except through a glass window. In lieu of direct contact, I often sent him care packages and gifts through the mail. A few weeks after the doctor paid my dad this compliment, I had a sweatshirt made bearing the text and sent it to my dad."
The TOUGH INDIVIDUAL sweatshirt is for the extra strong among us: the indefatigable, the fighters, the survivors, the ones who just keep going.