Sculpture
Sump oil, water
2022
A trace object from Channel is presented at ACCA over the duration of the exhibition. From extraction processes to post-life burial, vehicular pollution has seeped into our waterways causing concern for stormwater catchments in high density urban centres. The oil used was extracted from the artists car after 20,000km of driving, being entirely aware and complicit in the system.
The viscous, rich qualities of sump oil embody all that water is not. Oil drowns the oxygen in the water below, resting in the vessel as two discreet liquids. What is the future of our ecological systems when these liquids co-exist?
This project is co-produced by the City of Melbourne and Testing Grounds, and curated by Arie Rain Glorie as part of Test Sites Phase 2. Channel is presented as part of ACCA’s (The Australian Centre of Contemporary Art) program Who’s Afraid of Public Space, which explores the role of public culture, the contested nature of public space, and the character and composition of public life.
Exhibition design by Sibling Architecture.