Lake Boehmer (37100006)
Lake Boehmer (37100006), exhibition view, 2025
Lake Boehmer (37100006), exhibition view, 2025
Lake Boehmer (37100006), exhibition view, 2025
Lake Boehmer (37100006), exhibition view, 2025
Lake Boehmer (37100006), exhibition view, 2025
Lake Boehmer (37100006)
40cm x 40cm x 160cm
Custom built aquarium
Stainless steel and spruce substructure
Permian Basin and aquarium sand
Desert salt-crusted shrub
Water chemical mixture
LED full spectrum light
Aquariums mediate and translate a specific notion of naturality, bringing it into a controlled, domesticated form. Similarly, an oasis represents a pristine, life-giving landscape in an otherwise deserted territory. Yet, Lake Boehmer is a mirage, an image of the almost post-apocalyptic landscapes of the Permian Basin. Aside from the occasional methane bubbles breaking the surface, no life is apparent in or around the lake. The dead birds along the shore serve as a warning: death is imminent. The work presents the lake in an ambivalent state, neither good nor bad, but indicative of the relationship humans maintain with their habitat.
The number 37100006 refers to the API of the well that created Lake Boehmer through its leakage, as listed in the Railroad Commission (RRC) database. The RRC is the state agency responsible for regulating the oil and gas industry, as well as coal and uranium surface mining operations in Texas.