Glazed terracotta, brass, plaster, wood, acrylic
18" x 12"
2016
The piece is presented as a puddle created by an oil leak from a series of broken pipelines. The pipelines delineate the four directions representing the spill reaching out to all corners of the earth. At the center of the crisis is a human face, indicating we are both responsible for the mess and endangered by it.
From the U'wa in Colombia to the Ogoni in Nigeria to the Point-au-Chien in Louisiana, in case after case of toxic oil spillage, indigenous people too often face disproportionately deadly consequences.
The Dakota imagery present in the tiles signals that we are all on native land here in North America, despite current status as contested settler state. Our way of life is tied to the land and being good stewards of our world ensures our survival for generations to come.
This year, the seven nations, Oceti Sakowin, have come together in a historic demonstration of power and prayer at the site where the ironically-named Dakota Access Pipeline meets the Missouri River to put an end to the wanton destruction of lands and waterways for oil.
We must face the facts that toxic devastation from the rampant and unceasing burning of fossil fuels has altered the entire world's ecosystem, putting the survival of life as we know it on earth at risk.
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