River Drawings
2020
gouache, charcoal, graphite, nails and electric wires on laser cut and embossed Arches paper
32 x 44 in. l 81 x 112 cm.
River Drawings point to the absurdity of national efforts to discipline and claim ever-moving bodies of water by reshaping the landscape. In this suite of subversive works the artist traced the borders between countries in conflict over the sharing of their common river waters, as raw material. Groups of such outlines of manmade political borders were repurposed by variously arranging them. The resulting permutations of lines gave rise to a more familiar, liberating topography where rigid territorial demarcations were seamlessly transformed into free flowing rivers and outlines resembling natural geographical features. Pieces of wire mesh with rips and tears overlaid on the drawings allude to border fences, and the inherent violence of their existence.
