Structural Trap
Solo Exhibition at the Front Gallery, New Orleans, LA
January 2022
A structural trap is the name of the geological structure formed when massive layers of rock are bent or faulted from Earth’s shifting landmass and create reservoirs or “traps” of petroleum. This title also references the situation Louisiana faces as an oil and gas state, with a coastline whose disintegration is being both caused by and exacerbated by these industries, yet we fail to change course. This work combines sugarcane, the staple chattel slavery crop, with single-use disposable plastic waste, linking fossil fuel extraction and plastic production to their capitalist, settler-colonist roots; these industries have exploited people and the landscape for centuries. Plants, both living and dead, weave through these drawings and sculptures—bridging past and present with visions of the future ecosystems that might emerge from our culture’s detritus if the status quo remains unchanged.
Dr. Alison Young reviewed this show, and her review along with a conversation with myself were featured in Burnaway in April 2022.