Can Artists Channel the Force of Water?
Going with the Flow explores the role of water in the Southwest amid the 23-year drought, but neglects the ongoing tug of war due to water mandates and drought.
By Nancy Zastudil | Hyperallergic | May 31, 2023
SANTA FE — The 1,900 miles, give or take, of the Rio Grande run from Colorado into the Gulf of Mexico, crossing the length of New Mexico and tracing the US/Mexico border. The river is a vital water source in this arid and semi-arid region; it is also a dynamic site of cultural ties and political interests.
That’s why, when I visited GOING WITH THE FLOW: ART, ACTIONS, AND WESTERN WATERS, a group exhibition at SITE Sante Fe that explores the role of water in the Southwest amid the 23-year drought, and saw nary a mention of the ongoing tug of war due to water compact mandates and their relation to that drought, I was nonplused. “Water, like art, takes many forms: it changes and flows in reaction to its environment,” states the main exhibition didactic, and, “As stewards of this land, we can benefit from the example water sets by emulating its adaptability.” Poetic, yes. Full story, no.
The exhibition, which tends toward metaphorical, sentimental, and even nostalgic aspects of the massive topic of water, includes just three individual artists and two artist 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 encompasses installation sites nearby and a series of public programs (the details or participants of which were not listed in the promo materials). The works on view are primarily concerned only with the Rio Grande; of those, two held my attention — one for its simplicity, the other for its multiplicity, and both for their poignant use of abstraction.