Title: Nigeria - Soiled, Soaked & Silent Assemblage - acrylic paint, metal fuel lines, cowrie shells, scallop shells, satellite dish H 22.5" x W 32.5" x D 4" (2011)
Thousands of separate oil spills during four decades of oil extraction have turned the Niger Delta into a crude soaked wasteland, fouling water sources, contaminating fish, polluting the ground and air and reducing life expectancy. No cleanup in sight.
The center symbol is the symbol for python, symbolizing death. The circular symbols with the lines through them are symbols for mirrors. There is a symbol for crocodile which I chose to represent upside down for death of natural habitat. The wave symbols at the top and bottom of the art represent water. All of the symbols have a meaning and tell the story of man's destruction of this natural environment. The gold painted cowries represent money the Nigerian government has taken but hasn't put towards helping the people or this environmental catastrophe. The background is painted indigo to represent Nigeria since indigo is found as the background color in many of Nigeria's textiles.