Petroplexus
Iron oak gall ink, ink made from sheetrock, on paper made from sugarcane combined with shredded disposable plastic waste (“plasticane”) over rebar
11’ x 8’ x 2’
2019
This drawing examines the effect of the petrochemical industry on the landscape of Southern Louisiana in the present and into the future. The drawing substrate is made from a combination of sugarcane, the staple chattel slavery crop, and shredded plastic, much of which was refined just upriver In Cancer Alley. These materials connect the legacy of enslavement to the white supremacy and capitalism that persist today. Just as the wetlands are decimated by the oil industry, the drawing breaks apart, revealing the welded understructure that doubles as the pipeline infrastructure lying beneath our state and coastline. Even as our coast is eroding and sinking and sea levels are rising, petrochemical companies continue to actively exploit our landscape and poison our communities. This drawing imagines the ecosystems that may emerge from our cultural detritus if we do not hold these companies accountable and demand a different future.
Installation views of the drawing in the show “Structural Trap” at the Front Gallery, New Orleans, LA in early 2022
