A Dirt Life

Abstract

Dirt, from the lithosphere to geophagy to ritual is difficult to define since it can represent the dissolution of everything;the final stop and conclusion to life. It is, however, nature and a salve of iron red oxide that resurrected this material an afterthought. The exhibition, “Dirt Yuta Suelo Udongo Tè,”points to dirt through various linguistic references: English,Talaandig (Philippines), Spanish, Kiswahili (east Africa), and Kreole (Haiti). Although a very open idea, the exhibition took on a slightly narrower focus. I first gathered up some mud from northern Minnesota’s Vermilion Iron Range in 1997 and have continued to use it since in my own art practice as drawing and sculptural material. However, after a conversation with a friend I thought it would make an intriguing exhibition.Although central to the exhibition, dirt was not just about the substance but took on a more metaphorical bent with personal and societal pollutions as an important exploration.

Keywords

Dirt / Exhibition / Art / Sculpture / Photography

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press