In a section of a French art gallery, 16,000 cacti form an eye-catching geometric pattern of red and green.

More than being just a pretty photo opportunity, the work symbolises Egyptian multimedia artist Ghada Amer's protest against white male domination of the art world.

Titled Cactus Painting, the work was opened to the public on Saturday at the Olivier Debre Contemporary Art Centre in the city of Tours, in central France.

Ms Amer (above), 55, told Le Figaro newspaper of her work: "It is very symbolic of this moment when women were excluded, erased from modernity in art."

At the end of the exhibition, she plans to sell the cacti to visitors.

The New York City-based artist's works often explore issues such as femininity and sexuality. Soon after the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Ms Amer also began tackling the theme of Islamist terrorism.