SANTA FE – The 1,900 miles, more or less, of the Rio Grande runs from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, crosses New Mexico and traces the US-Mexico border. The river is a vital source of water in this arid and semi-arid region; it is also a dynamic site of cultural links and political interests.
This is why, during my visit GOING WITH THE FLOW: ART, ACTIONS AND WESTERN WATERS, a group exhibit at SITE Sante Fe that explores the role of water in the Southwest amid the 23-year drought, and has seen no mention of the ongoing standoff due to pact mandates about water and their relationship to this drought, I was puzzled. “Water, like art, takes many forms: it changes and flows in response to its surroundings,” states the main didactic of the exhibition, and, “As stewards of this land, we can benefit from the example of water games by imitating its adaptability.” Poetic, yes. Full story, no.
The exhibition, which tends towards metaphorical, sentimental and even nostalgic aspects of the vast subject of water, includes only three individual artists and two artists’ collectives: Paula Castillo, Basia Irland, Sharon Stewart, the project There must be other names for the river (Marisa DeMarco, Dylan McLaughlin, Jessica Zeglin) and M12 Studio (Richard Saxton, Margo Handwerker, Trent Segura). The show also includes nearby installation sites and a series of public programs (whose details or participants were not listed in promotional materials). The works presented concern mainly only the Rio Grande; of these, two caught my attention – one for its simplicity, the other for its multiplicity, and both for their poignant use of abstraction.
Castillo’s singular sculpture “About Jetty Jack” (2022-2023), placed outside the SITE’s main entrance, includes angle irons like those of the many jetty jacks used to right the Rio Grande in the 1950s and 1960, capturing debris and sediment and preventing flooding. Later construction of dams made jetty jacks unnecessary, prompting some communities to remove them and encourage bypassing of the river. Castillo’s piece also evokes ready-made modernist abstract art, with its large, imposing X-shaped form and steel construction. A Plexiglas panel connects the “arms” of the jack, referencing Castillo’s work in progress. Reverse the curse project, which focuses on the protection and guardianship of rivers.
There must be other names for the river struck a chord and struck a chord. This ongoing “data-driven musical score” has been played multiple times and has taken various physical forms since its inception in 2019. Here, a six-piece recording representing an equal number of locations along the Rio Grande is set in small loudspeakers along the exterior walkway of the museum. The composition’s mournful and joyful tones, along with the singers’ vocal ranges, whispers and lyrics, and even the call or request for its title, mimic the tense confinement and exhaustion of the Rio Grande, which was straightened, controlled and diverted for agricultural and municipal purposes for generations, but also honored, celebrated and mourned by local communities. Instead of layering a narrative, the sonification resonates with energy, emotion, intimacy and urgency. It literally fills the air (and my imagination), seeking and then pushing its limits – just like water.
More than thinking about the works on display, I wonder about the premise of the exhibition, particularly the emphasis on adaptability. As I write, a much needed rain is falling in Albuquerque and heading towards the Rio Grande. Given current conditions, is it time to channel the character of water as a force of nature, its continued application of pressure against external limitations, rather than emulating conformity?
GOING WITH THE FLOW: ART, ACTIONS AND WESTERN WATERS continues at SITE Santa Fe (1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico) through July 31. The exhibition was curated by Brandee Caoba and Lucy R. Lippard.
