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The exhibition ISLAND INNOVATOR by Ana Alenso (VEN) is dedicated to the artistic question of how bodies are configured in the field of tension between technology and its materialities. The boundaries and dualisms between human and technology, subject and object, material and immaterial seem to be breaking down. Are the machines that we humans use to drill for oil kilometres deep into the earth's crust an embodiment of human desire and craving for capital and more and more?
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Following a residency in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, in the winter of 2023, Alenso has created new works for this exhibition that deal with the overwhelming yet seductive feeling of being confronted with the offshore platforms in the harbour: their size, the constant stream of people working there, the roar of the machines and the smell of the oil emanating from them penetrate the body, even if you don't want them to.
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The Island Innovator platform is on the island of Las Palmas, where it has been parked for a few days for maintenance before continuing its journey to Sierra Leone in Africa, where it is currently drilling for oil on the seabed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the past, navigation was based on the position of the stars. Today, it uses information from highly specialised satellites orbiting hundreds or even thousands of kilometres above the Earth, beyond the stratosphere. These satellites are responsible for monitoring the intensive and extensive extraction of oil from the seabed. This creates a link between two completely contrasting and extreme places on our planet.
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In a new video installation As Above, So Below (2024), Alenso speculates on the use of satellite technology for this deep-sea oil exploration, while in other new installations she explores the sculptural potential of oil rigs, reinterpreting them as structures or body machines that embody the risks associated with offshore oil exploration.
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Text: Pauline Doutreluingne
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